How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
[It] shocks me [...] that people here are so desperate [...] that they [...] pay their last mite for these worthless amulets. (2.12.9)
As the plague worsens, the villagers turn to superstition and witchcraft in a desperate attempt to save themselves. People will believe in any crazy thing when they're hopeless. Regardless, Mompellion is horrified to discover that his flock is turning away from God.
Quote #8
Why, I wondered, did we [...] seek to put the Plague in unseen hands? Why should this thing be either a test of faith sent by God, or the evil workings of the Devil in the world? (2.12.23)
Anna's religious doubts grow as the plague worsens. Here, she questions the villagers' immediate assumption that the plague has been thrust upon them by some higher power. Why can't it just be seen as a natural phenomenon? By couching the plague in religion, the villagers are making themselves feel more helpless than they actually are.
Quote #9
I do not believe in witchcraft nor spells, neither in incubus nor succubus nor familiar spirits. But I do believe in evil thoughts—and in madness. (2.13.82)
Anna's stepmother, Aphra, is responsible for the spread of pagan mysticism throughout Eyam. Anna might not give much credence to the actual belief system, but she rightfully sees it as an irrational expression of fear and pain in the face of unthinkable circumstances.