Superstitions pervade these chapters and mark a new direction that the novel will take. First, superstition is seen in the many sounds that Tom hears and in the various signs that Tom and Huck encounter. At the graveyard, the boys discuss the powers of dead people; they believe that spirits of the dead can hear people talking and can see them in the dark. This discussion leads to the various superstitions connected with the entire Injun Joe episode.
Until this point in the novel, Twain has shown the childhood adventures of Tom and some of his friends to be all innocent fun. That is, Tom is the mischievous boy playing various types of pranks, creating great adventures using pirates and robbers, and fighting great wars. Furthermore, Tom has been seen in terms of his relationships at home, at school, at Sunday school, and at play with his friends. In this chapter, there begins a simple adventure in the graveyard concerning a dead cat. This adventure, however, is vastly different from anything that Tom or Huck have previously confronted. In the person of Injun Joe, Tom and Huck have their first encounter with pure evil. They witness first a grave robbery, then an argument, and finally a fight that ends in a murder.
Two new characters are also introduced in this chapter: Muff Potter and Injun Joe. Muff Potter is the town's disgrace--a drunk and worthless person who is hired to help dig up the corpse of the recently buried Hoss Williams. Muff is not very bright and is easily persuaded by Injun Joe that he is the murderer. Muff's trust in Injun Joe indicates his simple-mindedness. After the murder, Potter is depicted as fearful, weak, hopeless, confused, and literally shaking, partly from alcohol and partly from fear. The townspeople take advantage of his weakness and willingly believe Injun Joe; they condemn Muff Potter on the basis of rumor and hearsay even before any formal accusation is made against him.
