I think your appraisal of the story is right on the mark... almost. You missed one small bit. As long as you love and accept yourself, you can find those who will also love and accept you for who you truly are. Whether friends or lovers. Having both makes the opinions and prejudices of outsiders irrelevant. Together, you can weather any storm. This is a lesson I learned, not from the story, but by finding that someone who accepts and loves me unconditionally and without reservation. I, in turn, love and accept them unconditionally and without reservation. Together, we can handle anything life throws our way and have for 22 years now.
When you love and accept yourself, you naturally draw people toward you that love and accept you. The hard part is learning to ignore the negativity of others and even your own self doubt and just love yourself. No one is perfect, but if you can accept that you're still pretty darn good, that is enough. Best of luck to you. I hope you find happiness too.
Beautiful story; its message, I guess, is that if we show ourselves as we are, with no deceit, and if we accept who we are (dark side included) we'll be able to accept ourselves and be accepted by others - do you guys agree? I don't think this is an easy thing to achieve ...
There is too much prejudice TT:TT