Who is Mrs. Prior from The Eye in the Door and what is their importance?

Mrs. Prior's first name is not revealed in the narrative. Billy's parents have been married for twenty-eight years. Billy's mother is afraid of Harry Prior because he is abusive. No physical details are provided about Mrs. Prior. It is known that Mrs. Prior hates Hettie Roper because Hettie is a pacifist. It is clear that Mrs. Roper is willing to accept her husband's views of her own, since her conversation with Billy in Chapter 8 finds the character simply re-stating her husband's views. There is a passive quality about Mrs. Prior that Billy finds especially repugnant. It is clear, however, that he feels more affection for her than for his father. Mrs. Prior is a nondescript character. This could be due to her status as an abused spouse. It is obvious that Mrs. Prior will never willingly leave Harry Prior. Her acceptance of her situation makes her an object of pity.