What was Baba's strict advice regarding associating with people who have abandoned religious conduct?

Sai Baba gave very clear and stern advice on how to interact with people of poor character. Chapter 3 details his counsel to the author, stating that individuals who have "abandoned religious conduct should be abandoned first." He considered such people to be very dangerous and advised that one should move aside when they approach, going so far as to say, "Do not even stay in their shadow, even if one has to endure suffering." Baba reasoned that a person without conduct, whose character is fallen and whose actions are ruined, cannot achieve their goals, making their company detrimental to a spiritual seeker's progress.