Who is Teddy Duchamp from Different Seasons and what is their importance?

Teddy Duchamp had what we'd consider a difficult life. His father served in WWII and was a part of the operation that stormed. When he came home, however, he wasn't himself and was sent to a military hospital, but not before he held his son's ears to a hotplate.

Teddy is described as a risk taker, is devoted to his father, and although, he tries to join the military, he is rejected due to his ears and poor eyesight. Teddy is killed in a car accident.