In the book both Hester and Pearl were outcasts. It affected them in a negative way, but it does not always have to be that way.

We always focus on the negatives about being an outcast, but there are some positives too.

Vigilance- more aware of people's characteristics. What makes them happy, what annoys them, types of things they do. They are good at picking up on things such as trustworthiness, and what a person's body language means. Adrian Furnham in his article On Your Head: Beware outsiders – they’ve learnt to be stronger" says,"Vigilance has survival value. It makes the outsider more shrewd, more perceptive and a better reader of the signals. This is very useful in negotiations, selling or in situations where people have to be persuaded to do something."

Understanding - they understand the way rules and different people function better, because they observe how they work/ act.

Flexibility - since they have a better understanding on how things work they are more flexible. They are good at comparing and, they can move between groups, and understand how things work. Then they seem like an insider.