What advice did Sai Baba give regarding the kind of people one should avoid associating with, and what was His reasoning?

Chapter 3 recounts the strong advice Sai Baba gave regarding personal associations. He instructed that one should abandon those who have "abandoned religious conduct." Baba considered such individuals, whose character is fallen and whose actions are thoughtless, to be very dangerous. He went so far as to say one should not even stay in their shadow and should move aside when they approach. The reasoning provided in the chapter is that a person who does not distinguish between what is desirable and undesirable and who lacks proper conduct will be unable to achieve their own goals, implying they are a detrimental influence on others.