"As steel sharpens steel so one man sharpens another." In The Crucible, Mary Warren and Abigail Williams sharpen each other; even though they have similarities they also have great differences. Both Mary and Abby are near the same age, were servants of Proctor at one time, and were both in the woods the night of the dancing; however, they are drastically different characters. They serve as foils for one another. Mary is a good, simple, and naïve child, who is taken advantage of by others; Abby is an evil, powerful, and unpredictable girl. The distinctions between Mary and Abby can be seen in Betty's bedroom after the dancing, the incident with the poppet, and the bird scene in the courtroom.

"What'll we do? The village is out! I just come from the farm; the whole country's talkin' witchcraft! They'll be callin' us witches... Abby, we've got to...