First off is going to be jealousy. In the Crucible, most people were motivated with jealousy and greed. Same thing goes for McCarthyism, and the Red Scare. Most people did not care about any one else but themselves.
Second, religion also played a big role in the Crucible, McCarthyism, and during the Red Scare. Most people would target people who were different, they did not like, or they were jealous of. Some people would go after people for not having the same religion as them or not even having them at all, and accuse them.
The last theme is justice. Most people did not get the justice