Morality, beliefs about what is right behavior and what is wrong behavior, has become the infrastructure of society in today’s world. Many of the core beliefs have been adopted from an individual’s upbringing. Parents, families, societies, cultures, and peoples’ negative and positive experiences have influenced what moralities a person wholeheartedly believes. A person’s reality is a product of that individual’s morality. Ideas and beliefs make a person’s reality because people believe what they want to believe. In “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson and “Young Goodman Brown” by Nathaniel Hawthorne people can see how these short stories support and validate a person’s morality. In Jackson’s short story “The Lottery” the characters are faced with living in hardships because of the society and era they live in. In “The Lottery” the boys select smooth round stones and place them in the corner square and the men draw the lottery ticket. If the male of the family has drawn the lottery ticket then the whole family each draws a ticket. Some of the villagers carry on conversation as the lottery is being drawn “They do say that over in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery” says Mrs. Adams “Pack of crazy fools listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough for them. Next thing you know, they’ll be wanting to go back to living in caves, nobody work anymore, live that way for a while. Used to be a saying about ‘Lottery in June, corn be heavy soon.’ First thing you know, we’d all be eating stewed chicken and chickweed and acorns. There’s always been a lottery” says Old Man Warner (Jackson 253). In this case, the Hutchinson family won the lottery. “There’s Bill, Jr., and Nancy, and little Dave. And Tessie and me” (Jackson 254). The beliefs start from the time a person is young affecting the interaction with others, playing a vital role in the perception and perspective he or she sees on reality. Through these beliefs they try to make sense of their world. They form assumptions and theories to prove their beliefs. Beliefs are very important to them, and they do not readily stray from them. People trust their beliefs to be fact. In “Young Goodman Brown” Hawthorne reveals what he sees as the corruptibility that results from Puritan society’s emphasis on public morality. Although Goodman Brown has decided to go into the forest to meet with the devil, he still hides when seeing Goody Cloyse and Deacon Gookin. He is more concerned with how his society views him than with the fact that he has decided to meet with the devil. Goodman Brown’s religious convictions are rooted in his belief that those around him are also religious. When he realizes that his father, grandfather, Goody Cloyse, the minister, Deacon Gookin and Faith are in league with the devil, he decides he might as well do the same. People rarely challenge their beliefs and it becomes an integral part of everyday opinions, choices, and thoughts about their self and others. The version of reality is designed to validate the beliefs. The reality conforms to the beliefs. It takes a lot for the beliefs to ever change. It seems to suggest that the danger of basing a society on moral principles and religious faith lies in the fact that members of the society do not agree with their moral decisions. Belief systems help interpret the world. The systems can empower or limit, flourish or disable, and they can be positive or negative. People make assumptions about other people. They think they know about them and form an opinion, and then look for validation from their behaviors and actions. It is not usually the person that has changed; it is the beliefs about them, or the beliefs