In Plato's Republic, one image that arises is that society is a decent metaphor for examining justice and the human soul. In a way, that's what Lutie endures, but instead of a hypothetically community of justice-oriented protectors of the weak, her community is predators and rapists, and the women who exploit other women by offering them to men, like Mrs. Hedges. She is surrounded by both men and women who have taken their poverty as license to exploit others in their community.
This novel examines "the game," and the hustle. The real plot of this story is implied, not shown directly: Everyone in the complex knows that Lutie is fresh meat, and she is a prime candidate for someone to make a lot of money, by exploiting her into prostitution. Therefore, when she kills her rapist and leaves her son behind (without any other real option), she is escaping a dark, horrific fate. Secretly, the rape was timed during a moment when Lutie began to suspect that she was going to be subjected to Hedges and Junto.
But the whole time, she wants the deal to go through. She believes that Mrs. Hedges is a savior, just because Mrs. Hedges confronts her rapey landlord, Jones, but she only wants Lutie for herself, to profit as a broker between a probably-abusive white, wealthy man who wants Lutie not as a wife but as a concubine. How do we know this? Because Mrs. Hedges is a madame, and her job is literally to match-make for johns who want sex.
