Who is Boris from Yekl and the Imported Bridegroom and Other Stories of the New York Ghetto and what is their importance?

Boris is an intelligent man who wishes to become a lawyer. Unfortunately, he is not allowed to study in his Russian homeland because he is a Jew. After immigrating to America, Boris takes a job in a button factory and suggests he and his wife take in a boarder to make some extra money. He never suspects, however, that his wife will fall in love with the boarder and leave him.