Who is Baker the Banker from The Winter of Our Discontent and what is their importance?

Mr. Baker is the town bank manager, and his first name is never revealed, therefore distancing the reader from the man himself. He is married, descended from the same proud lines as the Hawleys, and somewhat older than Ethan. Baker is portrayed as a stiff character who has immense power in the town. Baker advises Ethan to risk his money on unnamed investments, but Baker himself is a man who walks carefully down the sidewalk in order to keep from stepping on cracks, an odd superstition for such a powerful man.