Who is Ab Jones from Suttree and what is their importance?

Old Abdonega Jones lives with his one-eyed wife, Doll, in a shanty cafe down the way from Suttree's houseboat. Always welcoming his group of friends in, Ab is a special friend of Suttree's. He is a very large man, and has been beaten, almost to death, by the police more than once. Ab is a good man, but lives in a state of anger toward those he perceives to be his enemies, primarily the law and one particular cop who seems to have it in for him, named Tarzan Quinn. When Ab gets arrested for drunkenness, he does not go quietly, but fights the cops until they are broken and bloody, then pays the price himself. In Suttree's last act of compassion toward Ab, he tries to tell the police that Ab is just drunk and that he is going home, but the police want to take Ab in, and Ab is not going to go quietly. He asks Suttree to go away, knowing what is coming. Ab runs from the police, and Suttree takes the patrol car and sinks in into the river. In this last episode, Ab, presumably, is finally beaten to death by the police.