The incident with Boggs points out many weaknesses in the human character. Boggs was foolish in his drunkenness to push Sherburn's patience. Sherburn was foolish to pay any attention to Boggs. The townspeople all rushed to see the murder of Boggs and almost immediately enjoyed playing the scene again. Then, the townspeople, following the lead of Buck Harkness, all decided to lynch the colonel. The colonel's speech is Twain's voice about the justice system of his time. In this section, Twain shows the worst of human nature.