This book is anonymous, but in a way, it's a story that every woman probably identifies with. For instance, which woman hasn't been made to feel like property by a man they respect or admire? Which woman hasn't been coerced sexually, or used by a liar? In a society that tolerates misogyny and racism, Olivia is doubly troubled, because there is no one for her to turn to. She is just not an honored part of her society, so she decides to leave.
That makes Dido something of a transition character, because Dido helps to take Olivia from one fate to another, and Dido is cast in the role of "maid," which is ironic, because Olivia's mother was a slave, and her father was the slave's owner. But, nevertheless, Dido treats her like family, and it always seems that when Dido does what she can for Olivia, that Dido is truly motivated by helping Olivia to be more powerful and autonomous.
In Jamaica, the women find they are in community. In England, black people at the time were made to feel second-class, but in Jamaica, they can all live in harmony without having to worry about whose race is what. They focus instead on what Dido calls, "mending the morals of our poor blacks." She is a significant character, and since she is the character who brings Olivia from breakdown to her new home, her new identity, and her new life, Dido's opinion should be thought of as a diagnosis. She feels that racism is something that people will need to heal from.
