Mixing meant impurity and it was simply not done. Mixing of race posed an even larger threat to the preserving of purity. Miscegenation did not have a place in southern society. Because the mixing of race is not tolerated, the people of Maycomb have to just justify their beliefs to themselves and others. Individuals of Maycomb deal with race in different ways, but they do not face up to the real problem.
Some people ignore the problem and advocate separation.
Others revert to hatred and sometimes even violence. If there is no attempt of interaction on either part, then the town and its people feel safe and content. Still, other men attempt to convey their views of race through violence. A mob of men arrive at the jailhouse with the intent to kill Tom Robinson rather than let him and his race continue to disrupt the balance of purity in the town. At the time of the trial, all these beliefs are considered accepted ways of dealing with the threat the citizens of Maycomb consider race to be.