What if you were falsely accused for doing something you never did? Worse yet, the judge ends up believing the “victim” because you cannot present evidence that would prove your innocence. You would most likely end up in jail for a while, but at least you still have a chance to prove the accusation false. However, in The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, characters that were accused of witchcraft did not receive that same opportunity. They faced a worse fate than spending months in jail; they got death. During the time period which The Crucible takes place, theocracy was their government, and witchcraft was a high crime that was punishable by death. The characters that were accused of witchcraft did not have much of a chance to prove their innocence.