Why did a devotee of Sai Baba get into a violent altercation with thieves over what was just a bag of sugar?

The devotee in question, Kashiram, engaged in a violent fight over a bundle of powdered sugar because of its spiritual significance to him. Chapter 0 explains that Kashiram had been carrying the sugar because a saint named Janakidas Baba had advised him to feed it to ants. This act was a spiritual practice for him, making the bundle 'very dear to him.' When robbers attacked and tried to seize the bundle, thinking it contained treasure, Kashiram's refusal to let it go was not about its material value. He decided that 'whatever happened, he would not let it go,' leading him to pick up a dropped sword and kill two of the thieves in its defense before being struck down himself.