Who is Simone's Mother from Story of the Eye and what is their importance?

Simone's mom is a single mother, raising her child alone. She becomes aware of her daughter's sexual activity after walking in on Simone and the narrator on several different occasions. Even though she is shocked by what she sees, Simone's mother keeps still. A natually quiet woman, she has no interest in confrontations. Her silence, however, becomes a joke to the narrator, which encourages him to purposely put Simone in positions where the two of them will be caught. The narrator enjoys causing her abject humiliation.