In The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, superstition may be a bunch of bunk, but it's also a mode of communication and a tool for understanding the scary, spooky, confusing world. Tom and Huck believe a lot of crazy things, but it's not what they believe that matters, it's that they believe. Of course, a lot of their superstitions are ridiculous and, for us, hilarious, but they treat it seriously.
Superstition provides a lens through which Tom and Huck can view and make sense of an often bewildering world.
Through superstition, Tom and Huck can not only explain the unknown; they can give life to their own thoughts and imaginings, too.