I think that Scout's father is pointing out something very important to her. He is saying that you never truly understand a person until you empathize with him or her, or "climb into his skin and walk around in it". This is another way of saying that you should get to know someone and see the world the way they see it before assuming anything about them. This saying is very similar to the popular quote "To put yourself in someone else's shoes", as both are about seeing and experiencing everything from another's perspective to really know the truth behind them. I think this quote applies to the story of Mrs. Dubose and Jeremy, in which Jem hates the grouchy and mean old woman for insulting his family, punishing him, and more. However Jeremy, who never tried to see through Mrs. Dubose's perspective, never knew that Mrs. Dubose was actually addicted to a painkiller drug and used his reading to fight the addiction. The drug, morphine, caused her to have fits and also be very ill-mannered to the children. Atticus's quote also relates to the Jim Crow era because during that time, many blacks were falsely accused of crimes and misdoings. If people had properly understood black people and see from their perspective, then things would have been different. People would have realized that African Americans are no different, and should be treated equally, just like everyone else.
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