Mary Warren is in court and admits the lies she told at the beginning of the play, but is very unsure of herself. The judge also makes the situation worse by repeatedly asking “Has he ever threatened you?” (Miller 101) after hearing his insecurity. Upon entering the courthouse, Abigail notices the weak state Mary is in. Taking advantage of this, Abigail begins to pretend that Mary is performing witchcraft in the courtroom. Abigail begins to see a "bird" controlled by Mary, who screams "Oh, please, Mary!" Don't come down." (Miller 115). Just as Abigail did with Tituba, she notices the effect her performance is having and continues the assault "Mary, please don't hurt me!" (Miller 115) which influences the court more. This convinces the judge, Danforth, that he is a witness to witchcraft and he pleads “Mary Warren take your spirit from them!” (Miller 116) to try to stop the madness. While all this is happening, Mary Warren continues to try to defend herself: "They're sportsmen!...Stop it!!" (Miller 116) but to no avail falters just like Tituba did and joins Abigail. This leads to Abigail being able to continue to lie and maintain control without opposition. Scapegoats play an important role in the development of the plot in The Crucible. Abigail Williams uses her lies to give blame others and help herself. The three who become scapegoats; Elizabeth Proctor and Mary Warren cannot help themselves because they go against Abigail and those who fall in love with her.