Abigail Williams is the ruthless leader of the girls who falsely accuse innocent Salem citizens of engaging in witchcraft. At the beginning of the play, Abigail emerges as the leader of the girls by threatening them to corroborate her story or suffer the consequences. In act 1, Abigail tells the girls,

"Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you" (Miller, 20).

As the play progresses, Abigail becomes admired and revered throughout Salem as she openly accuses innocent citizens of witchcraft. She even attempts to get rid of Elizabeth Proctor by stabbing herself and accusing Elizabeth of sending her spirit to attack her. Abigail is confident, unsympathetic, and malevolent, which makes her the ultimate villain of the play. Miller describes her as having an "endless capacity for dissembling," and she capitalizes on the hysteria by acting like she is being attacked in court. The other girls are easily manipulated by Abigail and follow her lead as she wields her influence in court.

Similar to the other girls, Mary Warren is rather timid and succumbs to Abigail's manipulative techniques. Mary Warren initially supports Abigail and enjoys being in the community's spotlight like the other girls. She is also too afraid to challenge Abigail and finds it easier to follow her lead. John Proctor eventually forces Mary Warren against her will to admit that Abigail and the other girls are frauds. However, Mary Warren quickly recants her testimony after Abigail and the other girls begin accusing her of witchcraft.