forgiving self and others

One theme that appears in several of these posts so far is the idea that the level of self-forgiveness affects how someone treats other people. What does the novel suggest about this relationship--beyond what previous posts have noted so far? Try to give a specific example or two in your response.

Junk People

In William Kennedy's novel, Ironweed, Francis takes work with a rag-picker--a man named Rosskam who buys rags and bottles and other "junk."  In the first part of this story (thru ch. 3), do you find people who are seen, by themselves or others, as junk?  Of which individuals is this most true?  How do you respond to these perceptions and why?