Drummond's character is revealed, as well as Lawrence and Lee's viewpoint, when he angrily responds to Brady's comment about wanting, " . . . the state of mind of the members of the jury [to] conform[s] to the laws and patterns of society." Drummond is passionate about " . . . prevent[ing] the clock-stoppers from dumping a load of medieval nonsense into the United States Constitution." The tension mounts as Drummond slaps his hand on the table vowing to, " . . . stop @'em somewhere."
Drummond believes that censorship halts progress and that a society in which limitations are placed on an individual's right to think is dangerous. In this passage, Drummond is voicing Lawrence and Lee's concern about censorship. Here, the playwrights are not commenting only on the Butler Law, but also on the censorship that occurred during the McCarthy era. McCarthyism forced people to conform to the "acceptable" ideology of capitalism and to abandon any connections to Communism or risk losing their jobs and possibly facing trial and imprisonment.
By defending Cates and freedom of thought, Drummond is shaking Hillsboro's very foundation. In response, the town attempts to hold on to its traditional fundamentalist beliefs. They erect a banner over the courtroom door that proclaims, "Read Your Bible," and, as court is adjourned for the day, the judge announces a prayer meeting to be held on the courthouse lawn. Drummond objects to the banner, as well as the "commercial announcement" of the prayer meeting, but the judge rules that he is out of order.
