Character Analysis
He's the proprietor of a hotel where Steinbeck stays in the Pacific Northwest. He seems like kind of a tough customer. Steinbeck describes him as an "ogre" (3.7.25) after their first encounter, which doesn't make him sound super-cuddly. Then, after the ogre finds out Steinbeck is from New York, he gets so angry that his "face [is] red as a ripe raspberry" (3.7.50). No, he doesn't have anything particular against New York; he simply doesn't want to encourage his son's obsession with the Empire State.
However, after Steinbeck makes him feel better about his son's interest in hairstyling, he gets a lot friendlier and starts offering him all kinds of amenities (like alcohol).