Prior to the dream, it is clear that Goodman Brown is a devout, pious Christian. When he leaves his wife, he instructs her to say her prayers. When he first meets the traveler-companion in the woods, Brown also says that he and his family come from a long line of devoted martyrs. Goodman Brown repeatedly resists the old man’s requests to go deeper into the woods, expressing disgust at the sight of the pious Goody Cloyse and then Deacon Gookin and the minister.
During the dream, Brown clings to his religion for comfort and strength. He cries that he will “stand firm against the devil” before running deeper into the forest to find Faith, whom he believes has been taken against her will. While he joins hands with her at the unholy meeting, Goodman Brown cries out to Faith, instructing her to “Look up to Heaven, and resist the Wicked One!” This shows that Goodman Brown believes that God will save him if he remains steadfast.
After the dream, however, when Goodman Brown returns to Salem, his attitude toward religion is different. He is now skeptical and untrusting of the legitimacy of his religion since so many devil worshippers hold prominent positions within the church. The ending of the story describes Brown as a man who lost faith because of his inability to trust the sincerity of his religion’s believers. This also suggests that Brown no longer trusts God either, since He would allow such blasphemy to continue.