Who is George Gulden from One True Thing and what is their importance?

George Gulden is a college literature professor. He is somewhat remote from his family, but is adored by his children, especially Ellen. He and Ellen have a special language and are able to talk about literature fluently, which makes the rest of their family somewhat uncomfortable. When his wife falls ill with cancer, George demands that his daughter come home to care for her and refuses to take any time off. He claims that he "works the night shift", but Ellen doesn't think he's doing enough to support his wife. George has a history of being sexually unfaithful to his wife, and once, Ellen overheard him having sex with a woman named Beth. Throughout Kate's treatment and death, George stays away from her. In the end, Ellen believes that George is responsible for killing Kate - feeding her an overdose of morphine in her rice pudding - but takes the fall, trying to protect him. After Kate's death, Ellen and George do not speak for over eight years.