A wave of hysteria swept through the town of Salem in the 1690’s that revealed far more about the villagers than their fear of witches. In these times, girls claimed to have witnessed the devil’s work taking place within the older women as they practiced witchcraft and cursed their town. The townspeople eventually fell into two categories: the accused and the accusing. Through this endeavor, some people rose to occasion and some fell, ultimately leading to their demise; this can be best exemplified by John Proctor and Reverend Hale. In the tense time of the Salem Witch Trials, the thin line between public and private lives quickly vanished and it revealed the adverse approaches in Reverand Hale and John Proctor's actions ultimately portraying Hale’s good…show more content… Hale is the only one to stand against the court, not rebel against, but attempt to right the wrongs already committed. When denied any aid, Hale felt blood on his hands and undertook this as his own responsibility to fix. In the process of mending this conflict, Reverend Hale had to cover lies with lies which caused him to waver in his faith. He claimed it was doing the devil’s work, but this work was seen justifiable as he was saving the wrongfully accused lives. These genuine efforts clearly displayed Hale’s good moral character, despite his wrongdoings. John Proctor’s paradoxical intentions were not as pure. He felt that his name was the honorable part of him, since he carried such a guilty conscious after the infidelity. Proctor postponed coming out with the truth for as long as he could, for he did not want to spoil his name. This kind of drive differs from Reverend Hale’s in that his was for the good of his own name and reputation instead of the people of