what is the significance of the fact that ishmael's future roommate is said to be a head peddling harpooner

This paragraph shows Ishmael to be a bit frightened, as he gives his roommate a good looking over. He's not sure what a harpooner is, and he finds him hard to look at. This paragraph show Ishmael to be a bit lazy (he doesn't want to look for another place to live) and somewhat judgmental.