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Hattie also had a series of morning rituals in which she would abuse Sybil in different ways. One of these rituals included Sybil being tied to a piano with a cloth in her mouth while Hattie played Bach and Mozart, helping to explain Peggy Lou's, fear or music later in life. Other times, Hattie would pour cold water into Sybil's bladder while she was hanging upside down, and then force her to hold it in. Sometimes Hattie would even put pressure on Sybil's stomach to give her cramps, and then lock her in her room, without allowing her to use the bathroom. In some instances, Hattie would put buttonhooks, knives, and other sharp objects inside Sybil's vagina, telling her that she was only preparing her for what men would do, since all they would ever do is hurt her. This also helped explain Peggy Lou's later fear of hands, and Sybil's fear of having sex. .
In spite of everything Hattie put her child through, she would always tell her how much she loved her, and how lucky Sybil was to be her daughter. Sometimes she would even put a surprise in the bottom of Sybil's food to encourage her to eat, since she had malnutrition since she would often make Sybil throw up what she had eaten. Sybil came to believe that this kind of treatment was normal, and that all mothers treated their daughters in this same manner. During one time, she visited a friend's house where the mother was so nice to the daughter, and had cookies. Sybil believed the niceness was just an act, and as soon as she left her friend would be treated the same as Sybil would when she got home. These feelings led to Marcia's need to "save" "love" and "protect" mother, and the denial of the death wish for Hattie by both Sybil and Marcia. .
Despite the many scars, burns, and injuries, which were constantly present on Sybil, her father remained oblivious to all that was happening in his own home. When Dr. Wilbur later asked him how he could leave his daughter with a woman whom he knew had mental problems, as he witnessed during their winter in Omaha, he replied by saying "I am aware that Hattie did have problems, but I never dreamed that a mother would ever hurt her daughter.
