The example of deceit that stood out the most to me in this story was the self-deception on the parts of the grandmother and The Misfit.

The grandmother, who appears to regard herself as a good person, tries to instill in her grandchildren good values and teach them to be well behaved children. She tells them that in her time, children were more respectful and expresses disapproval when her granddaughter is rude to Red Sam's wife. Meanwhile, the grandmother is constantly judging others, lying to get her way, and displaying other characteristics which go against the Christianity she later professes. When telling her grandchildren about the suitor she had in her younger days, she finishes by saying that she should have married him since he ended up buying stock in Coca-Cola and dieing with a lot of material worth. She makes no mention of whether or not he was a good person.

The Misfit also has clearly deceived himself. Then entire time he is speaking, he preaches that he is not a bad person. He believes that the crime one commits does not matter since in the end all you remember is the punishment. He tries to paint himself in the light of a victim, and at one point even compares himself to Jesus. But no matter how deceitful he is with himself it doesn't change the fact that he is a murderer.