The Valley of fear

The "Valley of Fear" is both a physical place—Vermissa Valley, heart of the Pennsylvania coal mines—and a symbolic place. In the latter sense it is a psychological valley in which Douglas finds himself stuck with no means of escape. He is menaced and burdened by his fear and knows that he can never escape it. It permeates all aspects of his life. Ultimately, fear keeps Douglas on his toes and alive a lot longer than if he had been complacent, but it cannot fully save him. Primarily the Scowrers, possess authority through more deleterious means: they threaten, terrorize, wound, kill, and seek to establish their authority on the basis of being able to do all of these things without retribution.