When they finally catch the train again, they are changed. They realize they cannot control their lives with itineraries or run from their pain through exotic landscapes. In a moment of catharsis, they perform a ritual of letting go, literally tossing their excess baggage—and their father’s belongings—off the moving train.
An analysis of the "New Wave Orientalism" present in the film, where India is used as a backdrop for Western existential crises. The Aesthetics of "Paper Moon" Worlds: index of the darjeeling limited