This in no way means that Tessie is a harmless and innocent person, since she also participated in the tradition by choice. Before the Hutchinson family was chosen, she urged her husband to make a mistake and chatted with the villagers as if nothing had happened. When the Hutchinson family is chosen, Tessie tries to put her flesh and blood into it by mentioning Eva, her married daughter, to increase her chances of not falling into the marked trap. Tessie knows that Eva can only draw with her husband's family, but claims that she should be part of the drawing anyway. The villagers know nothing of the origin of the lottery, but are willing to sacrifice family and friends to keep their tradition alive and fulfill their evil ambition of killing others.