PARRIS: Do you read the Gospel, Mr. Proctor?
PROCTOR: I read the Gospel.
PARRIS: I think not, or you should surely know that Cain were an upright man, and yet he did kill Abel.
– Arthur Miller
The Crucible, Act 3. Proctor has been trying to persuade the court to consider the upright reputations of the people being accused of witchcraft. But Reverend Parris tries to undermine John’s argument with an allusion to the Bible story of brothers Cain and Abel. Cain may have been an honorable man, but that didn’t stop him from committing the terrible deed of killing his brother. Parris is making the case that even seemingly good people who lead a blameless life are capable of doing evil.