what does the "spareness" of the Puritan setting reveal about the lives of the townspeople of salem?"The Crucible"

Life in early New England was harsh for its settlers: food
was scarce, the weather was challenging, and people struggled to make ends meet. The
Puritan austerity was expressed via the spare look of clothing and home furnishings. The
focus in everyday life was on basic survival and religious piety. But struggles for
social hierarchy and dominance still occurred, and led to clashes of ego among community
members. The drabness of everyday life in Salem Village helped to create an atmosphere
of frustration and boredom, and coupled with the struggles for social dominance this
atmosphere helped lead to the volatile situation with the witchcraft
accusations.