The effect of fear has on people and on society when left unchecked is people will try to take power. Then, they will try to use the fear of the people to gain more power and use it for personal gain. Also, when there is fear, people are much more likely to do anything they could to stop or destroy the source of the fear even if it is irrational. This happens many times in “The Crucible”. One example is when Abigail Williams stabbed herself with a needle and blamed it on Goode Proctor, John Proctor’s wife, and used the fear of witches to get the authority to arrest her so that she could get John Proctor for herself. Another example is when Thomas Putnam had his daughter accuse George Jacobs of witchcraft so that he can take George Jacobs’
