caste system

 The term "Outcast" has its roots in the caste system, which is a social stratum based entirely on a persons birth family. The most famous caste system is the Indian caste system, which has since been outlawed, yet the caste a family used to hold, still holds some regard for marriage and other purposes. There was a military class below that, then the common class, and below that the poor. There are numerous subdivisions within each caste but these are the main four divisions. The family a person is born into is the caste they will belong to for their life; with the only exception being marriage, in which case the woman will move up or down depending upon the caste of the man or husbands family.

 Outside of the caste system are people considered not to belong to a caste; either criminals or socially stigmatized. These people are known as the outcasts. While in western cultures this may be seen as unfair, one must consider the culture. The people occupying a caste system in India believed in reincarnation, with a persons caste or status being based upon the way you lived your previous life. So being born into a specific caste was an indicator of how your previous life was lived. There are very radical caste systems as well, an example would be slavery in America.