Characters are tested in the conflict in Salem. What do we learn about the kind of people they are?

What the reader learns from the conflict that occurs in Salem is that there are two kinds of people who live in the village, those who have a true belief in morality, ethics and are real Christians, and those who pretend to be honest, moral Christians, but are really phony, vengeful, angry people who feel hatred toward their neighbors.  Certain members of the community are not living according to the Puritan belief system, they are not real Christians in their hearts

For example, the truth about John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor emerge, regarding John's affair and Elizabeth's sense of duty to her husband and her marriage.  The conflicts reveal the character of Abigail Williams to be a disturbed, unstable young woman who does not adhere to the Puritan faith or its principles, she has an adulterous affair with a married man, a serious sin for a young woman to commit.

Rebecca Nurse emerges as a true Christian woman, one who chooses to die for her principles, her faith, rather than participate in the evil doings that are going on in the town.  And, because of the vendetta of Ann Putnam, Rebecca's accuser, who is revealed to be a pathetic, angry woman needing to blame someone for the loss of her infant children, these two women are in direct contrast to each other.

Reverend Hale and Reverend Parris, both men of God, one comes to realize that he should be working to save people, Hale, while the other, Parris, is more concerned with saving himself.  Reverend Parris is a man more concerned with his material wealth, rather than the welfare of his congregation. Reverend Hale, also consumed, at first, with the power that he has tapped into as an authority on witchcraft, learns a lesson about what he should be doing as a servant of God, saving people from the evil nature of man.

Overall, the reader learns that the Puritan community was struggling with the same concerns that any other group of people encounter, regardless of their severe form of religion.  They had wayward children, teenagers who disobeyed their parents, scandal, gossip, and all the negative aspects of what it means to be human in any time period in history.