Who is Peeler Mardo from Trouble Is My Business and what is their importance?

Peeler Mardo appears in the story, Goldfish. He is an ex-con, who is rooming at Kathy Horne's house. Mardo talks in his sleep, and when Kathy questions him, he admits to having been in prison. Peeler is described as a small man, with brown, thin hair and large ears.