Who is Kevin Daley from The Dead and the Gone and what is their importance?

Kevin Daley is described as a young, bright, and innovative, young man, who uses his intelligence to manipulate the world around him. Initially, Alex views Kevin as privileged, but once he gets to know him, he sees that Kevin's life is far more difficult than it appears. His father works hard but has no connection to his family, and his mother struggles with alcoholism. Kevin first befriends Alex as a favor to Chris, but the two develop a genuine friendship.