The oldest inhabitants of the village did not want this practice to disappear because they illogically believe that this practice maintains the stability of society. Old Man Warner, the oldest man in town, has won seventy-seven lotteries and is a staunch advocate of keeping things as they are. He calls the towns and young people who have stopped playing lotteries a “pack of madmen”. A generational and moral conflict around the practice of the lottery results from a different perception of readers. The year 1948 is the post-war era (World War II) and this may have influenced the culture regarding capital punishment. Tessie Hutchinson plays an important role in displaying hypocrisy and human weakness. She protests the lottery when her family is in danger, she ironically complains and yells at Mr. Summers, "You didn't give him enough time to get the paper he wanted. I saw you, that n 'wasn't fair!' (p. 247). Her statement about the fairness of the lottery is ironic because until her family is selected, she does not seem to believe that the lottery is unfair. Shirley Jackson also demonstrates the power of conformity, given that none of the people. protest or question the ritual as inhumane,