Who is The narrator from Dead Souls and what is their importance?

The narrator of Dead Souls, takes on his own character. From the narrator's words, the reader can tell that he is, in fact, male. This is the only detail the reader can officially discern about the narrator. While in many books, the narrator seems to be a third person omniscient and somewhat unbiased participant, this narrator is quite opinionated. The narrator is the one who has decided Tchitchikov to be a hero. Throughout the novel, the narrator only sympathizes with Tchitchikov's problems. He only lets the reader know about Tchitchikov's good qualities. Only after the narrator's absence in Chapter 1 of Part 2, does the reader see the Tchitchikov's true nature.