Final answer:
A mixture of townspeople, both pious and ungodly, is present at the communion table ceremony, revealing hidden sinfulness and hypocrisy among the seemingly righteous.
Step-by-step explanation:
The climactic communion table ceremony in the narrative includes a mixture of townspeople, both pious and ungodly. There were respectable members of society such as high dames, wives of honored husbands, elders of the church, and devout virgins, as well as men of dissolute lives and women of spotted fame. This gathering suggests that beneath the surface of piety and good repute, there lies a hidden world of sin and hypocrisy. The description of these characters at the communion table serves to blur the line between the sacred and the profane, indicating that the supposedly upright citizens are equal participants in the ceremony alongside those of ill repute.