What part does Tobe, the manservant, play in Miss Emily's history?

Tobe enables Miss Emily's fantasy life; he is the most immediate representative of the town, which serves her without challenging her.

Tobe is also a sign of how far she's let herself go, for he does things that male servants should not, such as keep the kitchen up.

 

Finally, Tobe is a marker of Miss Emily's position in history. That is to say, their relationship is a residue of the race relations of the South, and would not have existed elsewhere in this form.