Nearly all readers would agree that Mathilda loved her father dearly, regardless of how he acted towards her.  Mathilda was bewildered when her father's behavior towards her changed.  It doesn't simply change once; it changes time and time again, and not for the better.  This emotional roller coaster her father puts her on makes Mathilda wonder if something is wrong with her.  It makes her believe she is the cause of her mother's and eventually father's death.  She feels unworthy of any sort of relationships later in life.  This is why the guilt Mathilda's father imposes on her affects her concept of self later in life.

    Mathilda feels like something is wrong with herself that makes her father act in such an unstable manner.  Probably the biggest piece of evidence is when her father tells...