Who is Jesse Belden in the novel, Valentine?

Jesse Belden is the Vietnam veteran who moves into the drainpipe near Corrine's home. After returning from the war, Jesse struggles to reintegrate into civilian life. When his cousin promises him a steady job in Texas, Jesse leaves his mother and sister in Tennessee. Not long later, however, his cousin robs him, steals his truck, and abandons him in Odessa. Despairing and still traumatized from the war, Jesse creates a makeshift home in the pipe.