A man will not cast away his good name.
– Arthur Miller
The Crucible, Act 3. Proctor knows that the only way he can expose Abigail’s lies about Elizabeth and the other accused witches is to confess his illicit affair with Abby. So he decides to sacrifice his good name and publicly admit his crime of lechery to the court. He hopes that this will shake the court’s faith in Abby’s testimony. His decision to do this ironically shows that he is essentially an honorable man, one who is flawed and succumbed to the sin of lust.