Slum imagery
Life in poverty is certainly not fun in any environment, but in the slums of Mumbai, poverty is more than a seasonal affliction; it is the entire way of life. There is very little hope for a future and the culture of the slums is oriented around a shared awareness of that. The imagery has concrete aspects that point to the pain and difficulty of life without resources, and it also has abstract elements that point the reader to considerations about human merit and the nature of existence. The suffering is redoubled by the desire for hope in light of feelings of hopelessness.
Community
This is not nearly as individualistic a society as one might find in the West. In Mumbai, community is perceived in the person's sense of self. It is more challenging therefore to escape the community because one might encounter difficult emotions pertaining to betrayal. To an individualistic person, that seems contrary to common sense; if community is about love, then why would anyone choose not to celebrate a community member's escape from poverty? That question is answered by a more thorough understanding of the way community shapes Boo's life. She tells about her friends stories as if they are own, giving the abstract imagery some concrete roots.
Sexuality
Sexuality is complicated by cultural shame which is agreed upon by the majority of the culture. Again, this imagery points to a way of life that is culturally different than the West. In the West, overcoming unfair or religiously-hypocritical sexual shame (not to mention misogyny!) is a virtue, but in this communal experience of life, reputation is much more than gossip. The sexual shame that Fatima experiences is a perfect instance of this imagery in action; her choices are associated with her disability which proves that she is subject to harsh and unfair social judgment.
Wholeness
The concrete imagery of disability is used as a concrete subject which will evoke considerations on wholeness. There are two kinds of wholeness and they are subtly compared and contrasted in the plot. The people tend to point to the brokenness of the body, but Boo and her friends often find that the body is what it is—they are mostly concerned with wholeness of the soul. For this reason, the strive against hopelessness despite the shame they are confronted with. They continue to try new things and learn, completing their understanding of self with the wholeness that really matters.
