Read the excerpt from Outcasts United . The conversation with Jeremiah settled Luma's mind on the question of Ashton's: it was time for her to admit her failure and walk away. But while the failure of Ashton's hurt Luma's ego, it was also an opportunity to focus her life on more important things. She wanted to start a business that could employ women like Beatrice, paying them fairly without making them commute halfway across Atlanta by bus or train. Luma’s decision to walk away from Ashton’s supports the theme