The cruel actions in the crucible were justifiable in the name of righteousness, so the reputations and names of the characters, and the town of Salem were not looked down upon. Cruelness is doing something mean to another or oneself, and that would be looked down upon, such as lying. Through Miller's play The Crucible he shows cruelness through characters, and characters that represent the town. This is first shown through the married couple John and Elizabeth Proctor. They are both equally cruel to each other due to the great tension that lies between them due to John's affair with Abigail. Abigail on the other hand is also a very cruel character, due to her great pride and dream of getting with John. She accuses Elizabeth of being with so she can fulfill this dream. The final cruelness is shown through the people...