Who is Anton Hofmiller from Beware of Pity and what is their importance?

Anton Hofmiller, or Toni, is a career military lieutenant, stationed in Austria. He is tall, handsome, from a middle class upbringing. He is a genuinely nice person, but cares much about what others think of him. He had little choice but to join the military, but believes strongly in the military code and in the idea of duty. When Hofmiller is invited to a wealthy aristocrat's home and accidentally upsets the hosts' crippled daughter, he makes every attempt to rectify the situation. In doing so, however, he finds himself at the mercy of the pity he feels for the young woman and her father. On several occasions, Hofmiller finds himself lying in a effort to spare their feelings. As they turn to him more and more for support and sympathy, Hofmiller finds himself both enjoying their attentions and loathing the constant feeling of pressure to perform. In the end, young Edith falls in love with Hofmiller. Unable to return the feelings, Hofmiller finds himself lying more and more to escape the reality of the situation. In the end, he learns that he must give up himself to save Edith, but his knowledge comes to late, as she commits suicide.