After reading The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas by Le Guin Ursala I think she is talking about how a lot times people will take issues like poverty or unemployment and rather than accept the pain that comes with trying to fix those problems people will put those problems out of sight and mind so they don't have to feel badly about themselves.
I think hiding the ill child in the closet represent the way that people will not engage themselves in the problems of those less fortunate than themselves. Seeing the ill kid lessened people's happiness so they hide him in a closet so they could pretend he didn't exists. This is similar to the way a lot of people view those in impoverished countries. When wealthy people see people living in poverty it makes them feel guilty and question the way that they are living. Therefore a lot of times people will choose not to engage themselves in the issues of those less fortunate than them because that way they don't have to feel guilty about not helping them. In the same way, that keeping this kid hidden, helped keep the people of Omelas happy because they didn't have to give up their happiness to help the child, people ignore problems going on in other countries for the well being of their happiness.
When Ursala talks about the ones who walk away from Omelas I think she is talking about people who are brave enough to engage themselves in the problems of those less fortunate than themselves. She talks about how the people that walk away have to walk into darkness and have to be alone. I think that represent the fact that people who are willing to help others are also willing to except the fact that it is going to be hard and it's going to painful at times. Where as the people of Omelas or people who do not help others are kind of living in a fantasy world because they are pretending these problems don't exists for their own benefit.
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