People are harsher on themselves than others are toward them. This is shown in The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and in every day life. "The Punishment imposed on us by others may not be as destructive as the guilt we experience". Both Hester Prynne and Reverend Dimmesdale have hidden guilt of the sins they have committed. Hester is chastised everyday for the sinful act she has committed but inside she feels pain. No one knows of the Reverends secret but it constantly bears down on him. People are tormented by their conscience.
             Unless the public is constantly reminded they will tend to forget what has happened. The personal mind is always reminded of what they might have done, this will haunt people constantly. The only way to partly alleviate this is to tell of your sin or secret but that will not completely erase the memory. Look at the Reverend he has not told of his sin and it is slowly driving him to the brink of insanity. Others are more apt to forgive a person for a sin, but that person will always hold themselves accountable for any harm done.
             Every time a person sees a memento that reminds themselves of their act it will eat away at their sole bringing them to the brink of insanity. It will burn at their sole and heart constantly being replayed over and over in their mind. By this point everyone else has forgotten what has happen. The person believes that people are still thinking of it but in reality it has long passed their memory.
             A being might have been forgiven by their peers because they have committed a similar offense that no one knows about. Their peers understand what they are going through even though they might not express their feelings. The human race is a very forgiving group but each individual person holes themselves to a higher standard. They don't want to let friends, family, or themselves down by their actions.
             A person will feel shame, guilt, or horror about what has happened...