Who is Loerke from Women in Love and what is their importance?

Loerke is the artist whom Gudrun meets in the Alps, at the reunionsaal. She sees him as the ultimate outsider, who has a beetle's perspective on human nature. She is fascinated with him, and this enrages Gerald Crich, who cannot stand the man's weakness and outsider status. Nevertheless, Gudrun uses Loerke as a buoy, to keep her from following Gerald down into self-destruction. by giving up on society, and looking at everything ironically, she lets herself live, whereas Gerald wants meaning so much that he can only find it in death.