The number 3 is a motif that is carried throughout “The Hollow of the Three Hills.” The number 3 is considered in the Christian religion to be a holy number and in literature to be a religious reference, particularly considering the concept of the holy trinity. The religious implications of the number 3 allude to the theme of The Danger of Strict Religious Beliefs. The story is set in a basin near three hills. The three hills refer to the three crosses that were present in the Bible when Jesus was crucified. The fact that the two characters are in a basin and lower than the three hills suggests that they are participating in something evil or unholy.

The lady is given three visions to show the three ways that she has “failed”: as a daughter, as a wife, and as a mother. During the funeral service, there are “revilings and anathemas” (Paragraph 21) from the mourners listing the lady’s “failures” in these three areas. The visions are given to her in a certain order to emphasize the severity of her actions, with her leaving her child depicted as the worst of all.