Who is Frank Arlen from Bag of Bones and what is their importance?

Frank is the oldest of five of Johanna's brothers from Malden, Massachusetts. He is also Johanna's favorite brother, one whom she confided a great deal in, but she never told him that she suspected she was pregnant. Frank is fifty, has red cheeks, and is on the portly side. He has a head of lush, dark hair and he organized most of the arrangements after Johanna's death. Frank has been divorced for six years. Frank is like a brother to Mike after Jo dies, and a visit to the Arlen family for Christmas marks the beginning of Mike's return to the living. He is an ear when Mike needs one, and a steady familial influence that allows him to keep Jo close.