Who is Eddie from Cannery Row and what is their importance?

Eddie is one of "Mack and the boys" who live at the Palace Flophouse and Grill, Eddie is a part-time bartender in Ida's Bar, whence he keeps the boys supplied with the dregs of customers' drinks intermingled into an interesting, sometimes surprising "punch". For this service, Eddie is exempt from housecleaning duties. When the boys repair Lee's Model T Ford to take on their frog-hunting expedition, Eddie steals a dry cell without Gay's wife catching him and later a carburetor while on the road. He takes over driving and manages to hit a fat rooster, which they cook for dinner.