Even if the evil witch thought the world was evil; what reason is that to take it out on the kids.
It’s not hard to see how a devout Mormon wanting to meet the requirements of Mormonism and assure themselves and their children of “exaltation” in the next life could get into hyper-moralism and harsh discipline. It’s not a stretch at all to see how she might believe she is doing the right thing for her children; helping them to reach godhood. There’s little room in Mormonism for the true mercy of Christ because theres’s no understanding of God’s grace (Ephesian 2:8-9), because Mormonism is completely works/merit based. It may look as wholesome as apple pie on the outside, but underneath it’s a stress inducing, hypocritical, performance based religion with a false facade.