Who is Mawee from Elijah of Buxton and what is their importance?

MaWee is a young boy, who is normally employed as an assistant in a carnival act. For this particular carnival venue in Chatham, the owner has replaced him with a white boy, but he is still "owned" by Charles Mondial Vaughn the Fourth, Knight Commander of the Most Honorable Order of the Bath, known to MaWee as Massa Charles. The Preacher steals MaWee and takes him to freedom at Buxton, but MaWee does not understand what is free about having to go to school and being watched over by his new family.