An idea that I saw circulate throughout the play entitled The Crucible was "acting" and lying. There are also many levels to the acting and lying some of the levels could be as basic as sleeping while others people their life. The lying starts with the little girls "sleeping". A quote within the time is by Rebecca Nurse she says "I have seen them all through their silly reasons, and when it come on them …showed first 75 words of 449 total…

…showed last 75 words of 449 total…will lie about John cheating on her or not. She fails by lying, and john dies instead of her. This idea, lying resulting in mass death or ruined life, can also be applied to modern times. A good example is the McCarthy era and the blacklisted for being "communist" they would be spared if they told whom else was a communist. Ironically enough Arthur Miller wrote this play during the time of the McCarthy era.