How does Sally's trip to Chicago by train alter her outlook on joining the convent in the novel, The Ninth Hour?

When Sally takes a train to the Chicago convent, where she will be training as a novitiate, she interacts with worldly women who sway her feelings away from the convent and make her rethink her decision. The train ride exposes her to to women who deride and take advantage of her. That exposure hardens her heart toward society's ills. She gains knowledge of the world, and as a result, a deeper understanding of herself.