"You might as well poke a rabid dog with a stick”

This quote describes the beggar on the street that Amir and Farid meets, and how he describes encountering the Taliban and looking them in the eyes. Hosseini uses a metaphor comparing "poking a rabid dog with a stick" with staring at the Taliban. With this comparison, we as readers can see that it is dangerous around the Taliban, and even looking at them can cause you to be in danger. In this way, a rabid dog is threatening by itself, but if provoked, will be even more dangerous, and the same can be said with the Taliban.