A ripple of laughter ran from one corner of the lrooln to the other. The oppressive air of discipline that swirled in with Latika's entry, suddenly drained out. Karimuddin was a servant in the hostel. Stories of his laziness and shirking had been circulating among generations of students. Latika suddenly remembered something. Holding up her lamp she ran her eyes over the room. The girls sat in a circle, huddled against each other. Familiar faces all. But in tlie lamp's pale light it was as if something had changed, as if she was seeing them for the first time.
Discuss the atmosphere depicted in the passage