Problem Statement
Why is the dispose() method important in StatefulWidget?
Explanation
Dispose() is called when the State object is permanently removed from the widget tree, making it the place to release resources and prevent memory leaks. You must dispose controllers (TextEditingController, AnimationController), cancel stream subscriptions, remove listeners, and clean up any resources that won't be garbage collected automatically.
Failing to properly dispose resources leads to memory leaks where objects remain in memory even after the widget is removed, eventually causing performance issues or crashes. Always call super.dispose() at the end of your override to ensure proper cleanup of the parent State class.
Common cleanup tasks include disposing controllers with controller.dispose(), canceling stream subscriptions with subscription.cancel(), removing listeners with removeListener(), and closing streams. Make dispose() the mirror of initState() - whatever you create or subscribe to in initState() should be cleaned up in dispose().
