What is signficant about the events with the minister's assistant and Mr. Ashok in "The Sixth Morning"?

The assistant to the minister that Mr. Ashok has bribed coerces him into going out on the town to party. He then convinces the reluctant Ashok to sleep with a European, high-paid blonde prostitute. This action of Ashok's both disgusts Balram and entices him into seeking the same for himself.