Skeeter is becoming more isolated from her friends because they suspect she is in favor of civil rights. She, too, is punished for her beliefs when her friends refuse to talk to her in public and stop answering her phone calls. At first she is confused and decides to confront Hilly rather than accept the rejection, but as the scene unfolds she sees clearly that her new view of the black maids is incompatible with Hilly's views of segregation. Skeeter realizes she'll have to be more careful in order not to jeopardize the book project and the trust she is developing with Aibileen. Hilly's rejection is what renews Skeeter's motivation to write the book.