This is their dignity. John Proctor's dignity is why he is a respected man in the town and why he is presented as the tragic hero of the play. At the end of the play, Proctor is given the opportunity to confess his partnership with the devil, which would allow him and the other accused to go free. Danforth had asked him if the devil “asked you to do his work” (__), and “have you bound yourself to the service of the devil” (__). For both questions, Proctor confessed. However, when asked to sign his name, he refused. John Proctor believed that having his confession heard in the High Court was more than enough. He had given up everything he had, but he didn't want to give up the only thing he had left, his name. Proctor realized that if he had signed his name, when the others had not, he would have "blackened them all on the very day they were hanged for their silence." He knew he couldn't live a lie, so he did what he believed was the right thing to do and gave up his