What is the main message of “the outcasts of poker flat”?

The main message of the story " The Outcasts of Poker Flat" would basically be : punishment without justice is as bad as the crime.

Hope this helps. (:

in my opinion i think it was not excessive at all. the maids turned against the queen in his absence, how could he ever trust them again? if he let them go they would surely spread the news of the suitor's deaths, which is much too risky. as for the suitors, they were selfish, rude, and greedy. the god's had apparently marked them for death, meaning odysseus made their death come faster.