Abigail is very much to blame for the events that take place in The Crucible. Though one could certainly make the case that she's had a difficult life -- life for Puritan girls, especially, was no picnic -- and though her parents were, evidently, killed by Native Americans right in front of her (as she tells Mary Warren and Betty Parris), it does not follow that her promises of violence can be excused. She threatens to "bring a pointy reckoning" and torture the girls by night if they tell on her. Further, Abigail's confession to John Proctor that Betty's illness has nothing to do with witchcraft but that "She took fright, is all" reveals her as a manipulative liar when she later claims that John's wife, Elizabeth, sent her spirit out to harm Abigail. Both Elizabeth and John know that "[Abigail] thinks to take [Elizabeth's] place" and get John all to herself. Thus, Abigail consciously and callously accuses innocent people of witchcraft, knowing that they will be hanged, for her own selfish and greedy purposes. She is basically a murderer, and we cannot excuse this just because she's had a difficult childhood.
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