What is the purpose of Alexander Bickel's story?

To begin, Gladwell explains that ethnicity and history both played significant roles in Flom's success. In order to make this case, Gladwell considers the example of Alexander Bickel, another Harvard-trained Jewish lawyer. Bickel was unable to find work in the established old-line Wall Street firm of Mudge & Rose, in large part because Bickel did not fit the genteel, fair-haired, blue-eyed stereotype that Mudge & Rose prioritized. But old-line law firms were guided by a second stereotype: these firms disdained work such as hostile corporate takeovers, viewing such legal maneuverings as violations of a gentlemanly code.