compleated Cain and Able thought

In my second reading of Noon Wine there is a clear sense of punishment being disproportionate to the crime, or supposed crime. With Mr. Thompson killing Mr. Hatch it seems that the burden of all of the sin, in particular the murder of Mr. Helton's brother. Both Mr. Helton and Mr. Thompson separate themselves, Mr. Thompson by killing himself and Mr. Helton by running away. This exile is important to the allusion to Cain and Able because Cain was exiled and marked just as Mr. Hatch is marked by the ax and exiled to death, as Mr. Helton is exiled from South Dakota, and Mr. Thompson is exiled from his community and finally when he kills himself. It is interesting that each one of these is self induced, almost as if they were the God figure in their own lives.