How does Atticus Finch go through misery or "hell" after taking the Tom Robinson case?

While the Finches initially have a good reputation in Maycomb County, Atticus' reputation certainly weathers significant hardships after he agrees to take the Tom Robinson case. In particular, various neighbors begin to accost Scout and Jem, ridiculing their father for his decision to defend a black man. This verbal assault takes on a physical manifestation as the book goes on. Indeed, at one point Atticus stands up to a hostile mob of men trying to kill Tom Robinson in the local jail, while at the end he nearly loses Scout and Jem to the deadly anger of Bob Ewell. All in all, it's clear that Atticus' neighbors want to bully him into submission, making his life as miserable and "hellish" as possible in order to maintain the racist status quo. This conflict becomes one of the most important points of the novel, as it illustrates how social pressure from the masses can uphold racial oppression. More optimistically, it also illustrates Atticus' admirable moral courage, as he refuses to modify his honorable values in the face of hardships.