Throughout the crusible, there was a lot of back stabbing when it came to friends blaming each other for acts of witchcraft. It was crazy how fast someone to blame a friend or family member to save their own life came. No one could a hundred percent know if they were telling the truth or not. therefore, they were taking their word on it. I believe a lot of this would of been solved and many people would of lived if they knew exactly who was telling the truth.
https://www.ted.com/talks/kang_lee_can_you_really_tell_if_a_kid_is_lying