Lessons Learned from The Crucible It is possible for human beings who appear to be agreeable and normal to be knowingly

knowingly fully committed to evil A mounting tide of evil within society can gain an ascendancy disproportionate to the evil of any one member( if Abbey had been ignored, nothing would have happened) Truth has no meaning when men believe only what they wish to believe Honest common sense is impotent against unwieldy fanaticism Men can insulate themselves from the truth and rationality by a chauvinistic confidence in their own judgment There are situations in which mere unaided virtue is not strong enough to counter diabolical occurrences The infection of evil may spread by ordinary people who are both mindless agents and victims Evil in a society may more often be occasioned by the denial if private responsibility than by deliberate valiancy Long suffering may instruct that moral integrity, moral dignity and spiritual freedom are of more value than life without them When you take somebodys dignity they have nothing left

Better to be dead then live a lie. (John Proctor, page 143)