I finally read "Young Goodman Brown" by Hawthorn which King referenced in the afterward to this story. It's disturbing because it hits on a truth of human nature. When one does bad it makes one see bad in others even when it doesn't exist. Or perhaps it does in some few cases or for some few moments but in the mind of the one who has given in to evil or sin or that which one knows to be wrong it becomes amplified. All killers feel we all would if we could get away with it. All cheaters feel the same way. When we mar ourselves all we can see is it's reflection in others.
It's a terrible thing to believe because it damages the believer and those they come into contact with. It's a self made hell on earth. It's exactly the sort of rotten seed the devil would sow. Where that belief exists no good thing can grow. Only by humbling oneself and searching out the good in others and self can one find the path out of that dark wood. This was a scary story on a fundamental level. I understand why Stephen likes it so much.
It's a terrible thing to believe because it damages the believer and those they come into contact with. It's a self made hell on earth. It's exactly the sort of rotten seed the devil would sow. Where that belief exists no good thing can grow. Only by humbling oneself and searching out the good in others and self can one find the path out of that dark wood. This was a scary story on a fundamental level. I understand why Stephen likes it so much.