The Burden of Indigo — Gene O'Neill

After an economic/ecologic collapse, the Shields along the coast of Cal Wild cast out their criminals and malcontents to wander the dangerous wastelands. The pariahs are permanently dyed, color-coded--reds branding the violent criminals, greens the thieves, blues the sex criminals, etc. The book focuses on the outward/inward journey of an indigo man who believes his color is beginning to finally fade, 30 years after his Judgment of Color. THE BURDEN OF INDIGO is a sf/fantasy/horror tale of the search for salvation.