In this passage, as Martha betrays Ona by casually, callously giving her away, Ona understands profoundly that years of intimate proximity to Martha and her exceptional service have not made her special or valued—she is simply property. This, Dunbar suggests, is the final straw for Ona, who has already contended with tragedy, illness, and the simple humiliation of being barred from determining her own fate. The dangers of the unknown—and the fact of having so intimately witnessed what true freedom looks like—begin to put greater and greater pressure on
Ona to run away.