The topic of Mr. Hooper's first sermon after he begins to wear the black veil over his face is "secret sin." It refers to Mr. Hooper's belief that we have all committed sins and that we all try to conceal this fact from our loved ones, ourselves, and even God (which is not possible because God knows all). We can assume that there is a great deal of truth in this belief because his parishioners, hearing him talk, all feel as though he has discovered their own secret sins for himself, that he is speaking of each one as an individual. And though there was no violence in his voice, no fire and brimstone and threats about the hereafter, his listeners "quaked." Therefore, we know that this isn't just Mr. Hooper's hunch; his congregation's response to his sermon and the black veil shows their fear that he knows and/or could reveal that state of their tarnished souls to all the world.
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