How important is the role of Colonel Pickering in Shaw's Pygmalion?

Colonel
Pickering is not terribly important to the main plot of Shaw's , which
centers on Eliza's transformation and Higgins's commentary. The transformation of Eliza from a
disenfranchised, impoverished young woman to a seeming "Lady" illustrates the class
snobbery and economic injustice pertaining in Britain in the Edwardian era.

However, Pickering does function meaningfully in two ways. First, as a scholar
ofhimself, he gives Higgins an audience by which Shaw can express his own views. Without a
sympathetic ear, much of Higgins's pronouncements might seem out of place. Similarly, Pickering
is...