What is the importance of "peacocks" in the novel, Ahimsa?

Peacocks and peacock feathers symbolize Anjali’s belief in the superstitions around luck, but also how Anjali changes over the novel. At the start of the novel, Anjali explains how whenever she found a peacock feather she knew she would have good luck. She also explains how her grandmother told her peacocks left when times were bad. Anjali searches for peacocks and peacock feathers when she is needing a pick-me-up throughout the novel. As Anjali learns, however, superstitions are not real (like believing Dalits are untouchable) and basing ones life around these old fashioned beliefs can be dangerous. On the last page of the novel, as she guides her mother out of prison, she sees a peacock feather on the ground but does not pick it up and steps over it because “She didn’t need any superstitions to make her feel better today” (289).