Who disliked Salvatore's mother?

I am Italian-American, and know something about the mother-son relationship in the culture. Toto's mother was cruel to him because she couldn't control him like a "mammone" (google it if you have to). I didn't actually dislike her; her behavior towards him was, I thought, a necessary part of the narrative.

Mothers beating up children when they misbehaved was pretty common I think in that period. So Toto getting beaten up for "almost setting the house on fire" didn't really surprise me.

Having said that, I do think she was more severe with him, and didn't seem to give him enough attention, probably because he was elder and (she assumed) didn't need as much taking-care-of.

You talkin' to me?

Corporal punishment was commonplace at that time. Toto was an incredibly disobedient brat. His mother was really having a tough time - a war widow with very little money, so no doubt her nerves were often frayed to the breaking point. The two times we see her beat him, he has stayed out till night when he was supposed to get milk (which his baby sister needed), and he spent the milk money on going to the cinema. Even worse, he left a very dangerous item (the highly flammable film) in their home and nearly started a fire that could have killed the daughter. Are you really surprised she beat him?

Eh wasn't a fan either. While I get what the other posters are saying, about how beating was more common...the movie didn't show her ever being nice to him when he was a child to balance it out. So she wasn't likable. The only good thing was her calling him about Alfredo.

So yeah I didn't feel bad that he ditched her behind for 30 years.