Who is Peer from Permutation City and what is their importance?

Peer is a copy of a young man named David Hawthorne, who died in a climbing accident. He fully embraces his life as a copy, and he lives in a surreal environment of his own choosing. Peer subscribes to a philosophy called "Solipsist Nation," which calls for copies to cut off ties with their original selves and live as independent virtual beings. He and his companion, Kate, run on publicly available computer networks until they are given an opportunity to stow away in Durham's Permutation City as background operations in the larger program.