Who is Mahmoud Abu al-Abbas from Miramar and what is their importance?

Mahmoud Abu al-Abbas is a newspaper vendor on Ramleh Square in Alexandria, Egypt. He is also a friend of the narrator, Sarhan al-Beheiry. Mahmoud has ambitions to buy Panayoti's Restaurant and to marry beautiful Zohra Salama, the maid at the Miramar Pension, who buys papers from him daily. When he deals with the proprietor of the Miramar, Mme. Mariana for Zohra's hand (her parents are absent) Zohra refuses. Unfortunately for Mahmoud, she overheard him bragging that he will beat her daily to keep her in line, as in his opinion, women have no brains or religion.