Who is The Waiting Man from Loser and what is their importance?

The Waiting Man appears only behind the window of his house throughout the book. He never speaks to anyone and never moves. Despite this, he is an important character in the novel and a powerful symbol. Zinkoff's father tells his son that the Waiting Man is awaiting the return of his brother, who was reported as missing in action during the Vietnam War more than thirty years earlier. This idea, that a man would wait patiently in one place for so long, never losing hope that a missing family member might return, captivates Zinkoff's imagination. Such loyalty and determination strike him as surely worthy of reward. At one point, he even thinks of dressing up in a uniform to imitate the missing brother, until he realizes that would be cruel. To Zinkoff, the Waiting Man represents endurance against all odds, and fortitude in the face of pain. Zinkoff might not know it consciously but what he sees and admires in the Waiting Man is also the best in himself.