How does the setting of the story intensify the central conflict

The story is set in Boston in 1727, which is important because it is a place originally settled by Quakers and Puritans. Biblical ethics are seen as absolute. The Faustian bargain that Tom enters into can be taken at face value. The dark forest and the Devil become more than metaphors of Puritan ideology. The very literal meeting between the Devil and Tom Walker in the forest heightens the tension.