What is the significance of the behind-the-scenes discussion between Hathorne, Danforth, Martha Corey and Giles Corey ?

Corey comes in like a tornado to the defence of his wife. He has had enough of this infernal witch hunt by the courts. The scene highlights the court's real motives behind their destruction of innocent people's lives. They need to charge these people of something, anything to validate the court's own existence. Giles Corey points out that Putnam pointedly that, "Thomas Putnam is killing his neighbors for their land." Instead of examining this Hawthorne demands the Giles be arrested. The scene describes the agenda of the court is to punish innocents and science any who may put the court's authority or relevance under question.