From a Shirdi villager's perspective, how did the understanding of Sai Baba transform from a 'mad Fakir' to a divine protector?

As a villager, I would have first seen him as the 'mad Fakir' described in Chapter 0. He wore tattered clothes and sat in odd places, and his fierce demeanor was unsettling. My opinion, along with that of the whole village, changed dramatically after the incident with the lamps. We had refused him oil, and then we watched as he prepared to light the lamps with water, confirming our belief in his madness. But when those water-filled lamps ignited and burned all night, our conviction turned to awe and fear. We realized he was not mad but a divine soul. We surrendered to him, apologized, and came to see him as our protector, who, as the text states, would warn us of calamities and care for us like a father.