Why is Captain Beatty important in the text?

Captain Beatty's soul is torn between a passion for books and his obligation to destroy them: he hates what he loves. He becomes a paradox of society where upholding the status quo means killing what you love. Beatty often antagonistically lectures Montag, trying to prevent him from succumbing to the appeal of books. Towards the end of the novel, Montag kills Beatty with the firethrower that has burned thousands of books and hopes. Rather than fighting Montag, Beatty simply accepts his death. Montag later realizes that the fire chief wanted to die, demonstrating an extreme dissatisfaction with his life.