Chillingworth’s devious and evil nature is developed in this chapter. As he moves into a home with Dimmesdale and the two freely discuss their concerns, there begins to develop “a kind of intimacy” between them. To Dimmesdale, Chillingworth is the “sympathetic” listener and intellectual whose mind and interests appeal to him. The reader, however, is told that, from the time Chillingworth arrived in Boston, he has “a new purpose, dark, it is true.” As Chillingworth becomes more and more absorbed in practicing “the black art,” the townspeople notice the physical changes in him, and they begin to see “something ugly and evil in his face.” His laboratory seems to be warmed with “infernal fuel,” and the fire, which also leaves a sooty film on the physician’s face, appears to come from hell.
As the people in town watch this struggle, they feel that this disciple of Satan cannot win and that the goodness of Dimmesdale will prevail. Dimmesdale, however, is not so sure. Each Sunday, he is thinner and paler, struggling under the unrevealed guilt of his deed. The occasional habit of pressing his hand to his ailing heart has now become a constant gesture. He turns down suggestions of a wife as a helpmate, and some parishioners associate his illness with his strong devotion to God. Dimmesdale, although he discusses the secrets of his soul with his physician, never reveals the ultimate secret that Chillingworth is obsessed with hearing. Their relationship is further explored in the next few chapters.
