Who is Brian Gulden from One True Thing and what is their importance?

Brian Gulden is considered the emotional brother in the Gulden family. He is eighteen-years-old with curly black hair, resembling his father. He moves away from Langhorne to attend college, but wants to move closer to home to be near Kate during her treatment, but his father won't allow it. Brian is not as well-read as the rest of his family, which opens him up for ridicule and teasing. He often sneaks smutty romance novels to his mother during her treatment and can be found near her bed, reading to her. After Kate dies, Brian loses most contact with his family. Later, he tells Ellen that he is gay, a secret he had been harboring for many years, which caused his silence within the family.