Though Jamal Manning delivers a powerful speech during his debate with Jack Mulligan, Jack is successfully elected Alderman of the 18th Ward. This is a mixed victory, however, as towards the end of the movie, it becomes clear that Jack doesn’t want the position, and was pushed towards it by his father. Somewhat fittingly, it’s Tom Mulligan who seals the deal for his son, since his death during the robbery fuels public sympathy for Jack and earns him the extra votes that he needs to win the election.
Assuming that Veronica still decides to pay back Jamal Manning the $2 million that Harry stole, each of the widows walks away from the heist with around $750,000 each. Linda uses the money to reopen her business and care for her family. Cynthia leaves cash for her boss at the salon to get her out from under Jack Mulligan’s thumb and then leaves with her daughter. Alice no longer works as an escort and is free to build a life for herself. Veronica no longer has to worry about losing her home and faces a future she can control.
During the lead-up to the heist, Veronica says the widows will never see each other again once they have the money. This doesn’t last long, as Veronica and Alice end up at the same restaurant in the aftermath of the robbery, and make eye contact across the room. At first, it seems as though Veronica will stay true to her word and pretend she didn’t even see Alice, but then she changes her mind, follows Alice outside, and calls her back — asking how she’s been.
This is significant for a couple of reasons. The first is that the “rules” of the heist Veronica follows throughout the movie are her husband’s rules, and Veronica learns Harry isn’t the man she thought he was. By reaching out to Alice after the heist, Veronica dismisses the rules their husbands followed, an indication Veronica has moved on and is ready to make her own rules. That doesn’t mean Veronica and Alice will commit more crimes together, but it is a satisfying conclusion to their journey of empowerment.
It also symbolizes Veronica reaching out to make a friend. She’s a woman who has lost everything: first her son, then her husband, and then her husband all over again. The heist has gotten Jamal Manning off her back, and she’s got enough money to be comfortable and make a life for herself — but she still has to build new connections. Reaching out to Alice, of everyone in the crew, is also a particularly poignant choice, since Alice is the least tough and hard-edged member, yet, in her, Veronica recognizes a kindred spirit.
The entire message of Widow is that the women in this movie have all endured abusive relationships. Alice’s husband beats her, Belle has almost no options in her life, and Veronica has it the worst. Her husband was willing to fake his own death to get out of his marriage, allowing her to grieve for him, while not caring enough about her to even attempt to end things respectfully. When she learns he’s alive, he is willing to kill her to keep his chance at a new life, eliminating her self-worth completely.
This leads to Widows‘ last moment: Veronica’s smile when she reaches out to Alice to accept as a friend. She has no reason to smile, as her life was destroyed and turned upside down by her husband. Veronica kills Harry, not just physically, but the idea of him. Eliminating him from her life and from her thoughts, Veronica can now live for herself. This is her first time to smile in Widows and that shows she can finally start living once again.