Who is Robert from The Emigrants: A Novel and what is their importance?

Robert is younger than Karl by ten years and described as disobedient. His parents hung a cowbell around his neck to keep him from wandering away. He enjoyed working as a shepherd because it allowed him solitude. He loved to sing, was quick with his studies, and learned all he needed to know from the History of Nature and the Bible.

When Robert's parents arranged for him work in Nybecken, he was devastated. They never consulted him, and they left him with no way to break the contract they'd arranged.