Who is Ivan Fyodorovitch Yepanchin from The Idiot and what is their importance?

Dostoevsky describes General Yephanchin as a self-made man, who has now built enough of a fortune to be considered part of high society. He loves his wife, Madam Yephanchin, but he is also afraid of her and often avoids her for long periods when he has done something wrong. He is also the first character the Prince meets in St. Petersburg. It is because of the General's kindness towards Myshkin that the Prince gets the chance to meet everyone else.