Lakshmi’s remark about the “crocodile” shows that in a country marked by colonialism and rigid class hierarchies, flexibility is key. To stay in power, Parvati must be willing to shift her ideas and adjust her loyalties on the fly. Lakshmi, too, has avoided being a “fool,” attaching herself to the most powerful people (like Parvati) that she can. This passage also reveals that Lakshmi has told all her clients a lie—in reality, as the prologue explained, she has abandoned her husband, not the other way around.