There is a werid pseudo-logic some parents use, where they take any and every thing a child does as a Deliberate Defiant Decision. For example my father once told me proudly how when I was a baby he decided to not remove me from the church service when I cried because I'd learn I could leave the church service whenever I wanted. Mind you I was a baby. And I'm sure everyone else in church enjoyed hearing me cry. *eyeroll*

My parents treated me like that my whole childhood, and I see that above in how LW treated Rita. Because, LW decided, Rita was Deliberately Being Lazy, giving her the tutoring help she asked for would Reward Her Laziness. That's how LW made her cruelty to her child make sense to herself. It is of course bullshit bottom to top but at least it holds together, kinda.