Meaning, that she knows what she has to do to get by in life, even if it means degrading herself with prostitution. Sadly, this was the only way that she could reach financial independence. .
The on going description of "the eyes" that Firadaus keeps implying seems that, since she is a woman, she is often looked down at in a kind of slavish sort of way. She frequently describes these eyes as "two rings of intense white around two rings of intense black" (El Saadawi, 17). Setting off a melancholy tone to her existence. The significance of this is to set off the idea of having all of these different "eyes" focusing on your every move, but yet being treated like you are nothing. .
It is extremely disturbing within the book to acknowledge that Firadaus only finds true self-acceptance when she is put to death for the murder of her pimp. She came to the realization that she will never be truly free in the physical world, but only in the world rooted by death. With this she can take with her a broader respect for herself.
The film "The Circle" was basically based on the same theme pertaining to the constant struggle for women to survive, but it was represented in a completely different mode than Woman at Point Zero. The film was created with an omniscient narrator, meaning that there were about four different female focuses and the individual battle for each to make it in their society. This point of views lets the viewers look in to a whole other type of living, that we are unaware of. .
These women undertake dissimilar circumstances created by the analogous threats of their culture. Created from an Iranian perspective, these women have little freedom in a world where men are the powerful beings in charge. A world where a woman will be thrown in jail if found roaming the streets unaccompanied by a man. As the same in the book, these women face continuous physical and mental abuse through out each of their lives and will continue to do so as long as they remain in their society.