Final answer:
The excerpts explore themes of guilt, shame, and moral conflict, with characters dealing with deceit, betrayal, and societal judgment. These situations force characters to confront and acknowledge their shameful actions and experiences.
Step-by-step explanation:
The excerpts provided seem to be woven around themes of guilt, shame, and sin, tied to individual actions or societal expectations in different circumstances. Characters like Hester, Anadil, Jane Withersteen, Venants, and others face their inner turmoil and the judgment of others, which leads to moments of confrontation with a sense of wrongdoing.
For instance, Jane Withersteen's struggle with the deceit and betrayal within her own household, as she recognizes the duplicity and loss of trust, reflects the larger moral conflicts faced by these characters. Venters also encounters these themes through his inquiry about the past, asking painful questions that evoke shame and regret.
In these narratives, characters grapple with the stakes of personal actions, societal judgment, and the internalization of shame. Whether it's a confrontation with a spying employee, a dialog about moral missteps, or the admission of involvement with a questionable figure, the stirrings of shame are at the heart of these stories.