The main characters, Hester Prynne, Arthur Dimmesdale, Roger Chillingworth and the Puritan society represented by the townspeople, have all sinned. The story is a study in the effects of sin on the hearts and minds of Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth. Sin strengthens Hester, humanizes Dimmesdale, and turns Chillingworth into the villain. Hester Prynne's sin was adultery. This sin was taken very seriously by the Puritans and was often punished by death. Hester's punishment consisted of enduring public shame on a gallows for three hours and wearing a scarlet letter "A" on her chest for the rest of her life in the city. Although Hawthorne does not condone Hester's sin, he portrays it in a belittled, less serious manner than Dimmesdale and Chillingworth. Hester's sin was a sin of desire. This sin was openly acknowledged as he wore the "A" on his chest. Although she is not justified, Hester has not committed the greatest sin of the novel. He did not deliberately commit his sin nor did he intend to hurt others. Hester's sin is that her passions and love were more important to her than the Puritan moral code. This is demonstrated when he tells Dimmesdale: "What we have done has had its own consecration. We felt it so! We told ourselves so!" Hester fully recognized her guilt and proudly showed it to the world. This was evident from the way he displayed the scarlet letter. It was elaborately designed as if to show that Hester was proud of what she had done. Hester is truly a sinner; adultery is no minor matter, even today. On the other hand, her sin brought her not evil, but good. His charity towards the poor, his comfort towards the brokenhearted, his unquestionable presence in difficult times are all direct results of his search for repentance. His salvation also lies in the truth. He tells Dimmesdale of Chillingworth's true identity, keeping it a secret before, to aid in his safety. Her quest to tell the truth is evident in the lines: "In all other things, I strove to be true! Truth was the only virtue I could maintain, and have maintained, through all extremities, except when your good --life--fame--have been questioned! Then I agreed to a deception But a lie is never good, even if death threatens the other party!" Even though Hester's sin is what the book takes its title from and centers around, it is by no means the worst sin committed..