Valli did not want to make friends with the elderly woman because she found her absolutely repulsive. The woman had big holes in her ear lobes with ugly earrings. Moreover, she was chewing betel nut, the smell of which Valli disliked, and she could see the betel juice threatening to spill over the woman's lips.

Additionally, the elderly woman was overly inquisitive. She kept asking Valli annoying questions about whether it was proper for a young person to travel alone and where she was going. Valli found her drivel bothersome and felt that nobody could be sociable with such a person.