deceit – To me it didn’t seem like these men were really guilty of anything except being deceived. Mrs. Spooner from the moment she saw them conceived in her mind ways to have her husband killed. Her refusal to have them leave her house reassured their role in his death, and gave her more credibility in their minds which allowed for her to eventually get them to kill her husband.
lust – Buchanan seemed to be a victim of lust. Mrs. Spooner’s flirtations and constant requests of his presence offered the lust of his flesh more and more time to gain control of his mind. His attraction to Mrs. Spooner in effect was his downfall because it lead to his agreeing to commit the crime when at first he and Mr. Brooks rejected taking part in the murder.