In act 4, Elizabeth visits John in prison on the morning that he is scheduled to be hanged, and the couple has an intimate conversation about his decision to either offer a confession in order to save his life or die a martyr with the hopes of undermining the corrupt court. When Elizabeth informs John that Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey refuse to offer false confessions to save their lives, John calls himself a fraud and mentions that he cannot mount the gibbet like a saint. Elizabeth then acknowledges the fact that John has not yet confessed, which speaks to the goodness that he possesses. John responds by saying,

Spite only keeps me silent. It is hard to give a lie to dogs.

John Proctor is essentially saying that the only reason he has not offered Danforth and Hathorne a false confession is out of spite. John's confession to witchcraft would be a lie and he would be giving the court officials exactly what they want, which would solidify their corrupt proceedings. John is aware that his name holds weight, and offering a false confession would not only justify the court's proceedings, but also harm Rebecca and Martha. However, John completely detests the court officials and refers to them as dogs. John realizes that he has some leverage and is refusing to offer a false confession out of spite.