How sin cause characters to act differently in the Scarlet Letter

Sin is very difficult thing to comprehend with many gray areas as to what a sin is and if it can be repented for. However, when one commits what they or what other people force them to believe is a grave sin the after effects of the punishment can drastically change a person's physical or mental being like in Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. The three main characters, Hester Prynne, Roger Chillingworth, and Rev. Arthur …

…eventually make up for their sin making them better people in the process even though in Dimmesdale's case it killed him. However, Roger Chillingworth is made worse by the sins he commits and eventually dies when there is no more evil deeds for him to commit. Hawthorne is saying that sin can affect one's life in many different ways and that through punishment and penance one should finally be relieved of the guilt of sin.