why is giles corey's refusal to name names important

Giles has a complete sense of honesty; in asking men to testify against Thomas Putnam, he has assured them that they will not need to come forward, simply agree that their testimony is honest. He is unwilling to give the judgest the name they request which means he is in contempt of court. He simply refuses to gives the names and as long as he is quiet, his sons will inherit his land. This is very important to him and so he is pressed to death without ever giving the judges one word.