Who is The Pirate from Tortilla Flat and what is their importance?

The Pirate is a huge man with a bushy black beard, shabby clothing, a good heart, and limited intelligence. He lives in reclusion and destitution in a chicken coop with a pack of protective and obedient dogs named Enrique. Pajarito, Rudolph, Fluff, and Señor Alec Thompson. People laugh at Pirate and some pity him. To earn money, he cuts and sells firewood for 25¢ a day...... he then buries every penny. He feeds himself and his dogs by begging for scraps from restaurants. Pilon, knowing everything about everyone, watches the Pirate and calculates his hoard at a minimum of one hundred dollars. When Pirate is invited to stay with the paisanos his is thrilled and sees them as family. His hoard of gold becomes a symbol of brotherhood.