Why is the town in The Crucible so stirred up by events?

During the period in time which "The Crucible" takes
place, Puritanism was the predominant religious
following.

The
government of Salem in 1692 was a Puritan theocracy. In other words, the town was under
the unbending authority of the
church.

Witchcraft was
heavily frowned upon by the church. It was looked at as being an alliance with the
Devil, something the Church looked upon with
hatred.

Therefore, given that Salem was a God-fearing
state, any questionable activities which would lead one to believe that there were
persons involved in behaviors associated with the Devil were looked upon with
fear.

The work itself plays upon the idea of hysteria. Once
the initial accusations were made against one, the ability to accuse others in order to
force payment for personal wrongdoings was inevitable. The town burst at the seams with
accusations made simply to force the courts to, unknowingly, clear personal
feuds.