Why was public humiliation felt to be more severe than imprisonment in the Puritan community?

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2 answers

The Puritan community was close-knit. People depended upon the value others put on them. If they were in prison, they would be out of sight -- and the culprit wouldn't be faced with condemnation by his/her peers. However, when a person was publicly humiliated every day (as was Hester in The Scarlet Letter) she couldn't escape her punishment by hiding in a jail cell.
The reason why is because they suck