Can you explain Sai Baba's teaching that one should stay close to people of fallen character to help reform them, even if it means staying in their shadow?

The source material from Chapter 3 presents the complete opposite of this idea. Sai Baba gave very direct and strict advice to distance oneself from people of poor conduct. He is quoted as saying, "Those who have abandoned religious conduct should be abandoned first." He went further, warning devotees to consider such people "very dangerous" and instructed, "When they come in front, one should move aside; consider them very dangerous. Do not even stay in their shadow, even if one has to endure suffering." His teaching was that a person without proper conduct, whose actions are ruined, cannot achieve their goals, and associating with them is detrimental. Therefore, Baba's counsel was to avoid such individuals, not to stay close to them.