Not because he is eloquent or brilliant or an expert combatant, but because if you shoot him in the face he keeps on talking.
Hank is an intrinsic part of this community as a premier gang negotiator. Every day is a series of power struggles between the crime bosses. Because of its location, Belvaille is populated with nothing but crooks. There is literally no reason to be there. It is the remotest habitation in the entire Colmarian Confederation. It is not, generally, a thinking person's locale. Besides, the space station Belvaille doesn't need scientists. He puts his abilities to the best use possible and that isn't by being a scientist. In his view the galaxy has given him a gift: a mutation that allows him to withstand great deals of physical trauma. It is not, generally, a thinking Hank is a thug.
