Reverend Parris is a man who thinks people are always plotting against him. For a man of God, he worries quite a bit about money and public opinion.
In Act I, with his daughter Betty stricken with an unknown illness, he is more concerned about whether rumors will start and how this will affect his reputation. He tries to keep people from finding out what is wrong so that he does not look bad.
When he confronts Abigail with his discovery of the girls in the woods, he lectures her on how this will look for him. He also gets on her about her reputation, and how people are talking about her dismissal from the Proctor house. Again, he is not concerned for Abigail's own well-being, but for his own.
Parris and John Proctor are antagonistic towards each other. Proctor hates that Parris is always trying to negotiate a higher compensation, and arguing about his having to pay for his own firewood. Parris is more interested in money than in ministering to the people. It angers him that they do not reward his supposed worth.
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