What is Atticus referring to when he says, “most people are, Scout, when you finally see them” in To Kill a Mockingbird?

Atticus is referring to the fact that people tend to judge others without getting to know them, as people have judged Boo Radley.

This story Scout tells is the last metaphor in the book, and is relevant after her meeting with Boo Radley. Boo Radley was the phantom of her childhood, and she finally meets him and walks him home. The real Boo Radley is nice, quiet, and shy.

There are many examples of judgment throughout this book. The best example of systemic judgment is racism. People in Maycomb judge African Americans and assume they are inferior without knowing anything about them. It is a cultural reality that is passed down to them. It is not right, and as Scout gets older it is a reality she learns to confront.

Boo Radley is a metaphor for people victimized by society.  He is a recluse, locked in his house and ignored. He has been ostracized by Maycomb's citizens because of youthful indiscretions and behavior they don’t understand.

Atticus tries to impress upon his children that Boo Radley deserves privacy. Still, Scout and Jem are fascinated by the legend of the man who never leaves his house.

What Mr. Radley did was his own business. If he wanted to come out, he would. If he wanted to stay inside his own house he had the right to stay inside free from the attentions of inquisitive children, which was a mild term for the likes of us (Chapter 5). 

Atticus tells Scout and Jem that Boo Radley is not “peculiar,” even if he seems peculiar to them. He deserves to be left alone. Dill, Scout, and Jem have good intentions. Dill in particular knows what it is like to be lonely. He really does think Boo Radley needs a friend, and that all he has to do is come out and sit a spell.

The children’s overtures are successful because Boo Radley’s isolation is self-imposed. He makes friends on his own terms. At the end of the book, he leaves his house to rescue Scout and Jem. Scout stands on his porch and looks at the world from his perspective.

Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough (Chapter 31).

When Scout returns home and shares the story of “Stoner’s Boy” and how he was misunderstood with Atticus, she might as well be talking about Boo Radley. When she met Boo, “he was real nice” too. As Atticus says, when you give people a chance you often find they are good.