Bill

On to the other person I like! Bill is just hilarious, and brings a light side to the novel that improves is drasticaly. If it weren't for Bill's presence, I would soon have gotten bored of the serious tone of the novel. Despite being a racist (which I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for since I guess a lot of people were back then), Bill is my favorite person in the book. He manages to stay out of all the Brett-drama,  which shows something about his laid back attitude.He's also a very loyal friend. Jake could count on Bill to be there for him, as we know from the fact that Bill is aware of Jake's injury. (We also know that Bill is not always just a comedian, since he can be very tactful about the injury and Jake's relationship with Brett.)
I think that Bill serves a very important role in the functioning of the novel, too. His presence keeps the mood light when we know how tense the other people are. It is important that he has no previous connection to Brett, since that allows him to remain detached from the main drama of the story (which I think was a pretty good idea). What I found interesting was that naither he nor Brett endeavored to get to know each other more-- they both seemes content with their current relationship.
I enjoyed seeing Bill happy, so one of my favorite scenes in the whole novel was when he and Jake are drinking on the bus with the Basques. While this is not a dramatic scene at all, it is still very interesting, since it marks what Bill is getting out of the trip. It seems like Bill has finally found his people, those who love fun just as much as he does. I think that an ideal ending (if a bit too poetic) would have been for Bill to become a Basque. Of course, I realize that they actually have to work physically more than Bill, the writer, would be cool with. But iI do feel like Bill enjoys this time with Jake and the Basques more than anything else on the trip.
Go Bill!!!