Who is Lodovico Settembrini from The Magic Mountain and what is their importance?

Lodovico Settembrini is a poor but elegant Italian humanist and Berghof patient. He always appears in the same frayed outfit of checked pants and gray coat with a beaver collar, twirling a walking stick. He is the son and grandson of writers and activists, he is a scholar, Freemason and freelance writer who collaborates on international encyclopedias and projects for human betterment. Settembrini appoints himself Hans Castorp's mentor.