What role did Sands have in Jacobs's life?

Mr. SAnds is the young unmarried son of a lawyer. Mr. Sands enters into a sexual relationship with Harriet; she bears two children, Benny and Ellen. Mr. Sands appears free of most racial prejudice and treats Harriet kindly. He tries to buy Harriet's children and eventually succeeds, purchasing them and William. He is disappointed when William leaves him and assumes he will return. He wins a seat in Congress and moves north; Harriet's worries for her children's fates pushes him to place Ellen with relatives of his in Brooklyn. He marries and has children with his new wife.

I would say that he was a positive influence overall considering how Harrriet was treated by other white people.