beta
It was obvious from the start that the mother's obsession with her youngest daughter was very weird, BUT SHE IS A MOTHER, A MAMA BEAR. She went through hell and abandoned her pride just to feed her 5 daughters all while she has nothing to her name. So NO, this arc is not the author trying to make us like the mother, ITS FINALLY SHOWING TO US THE REASON WHY SHE HAD TO BECOME THAT KIND OF A PERSON.