When Mary first appears in court, Danforth is suspicious of her motives. He believes she may be lying or coerced into making false accusations. He questions her closely, trying to catch her in a contradiction. However, Mary remains steadfast in her claims and is even able to resist the pressure from the other judges to recant her testimony.
As the evidence against the accused witches mounts, Danforth becomes more convinced of Mary's honesty. He begins to see her as a victim of the witchcraft rather than a perpetrator. He also comes to admire her courage and strength in the face of adversity.
In the final scenes of the play, Danforth is torn between his duty to uphold the law and his growing doubts about the guilt of the accused. He eventually decides to sign the death warrants of the condemned witches, but he is clearly troubled by his decision. He realizes that he has made a mistake and that the innocent will be punished along with the guilty.