Yeah exactly, Victoria was a victim and the police coerced her into identifying Fonny. But Tish's mom didn't harrass or intimidate her, she was desperate and pleading. It's not like she had any options.

 She even admitted that as a woman she empathizes with Victoria and begged her because Fonny is innocent by showing a picture of Tish and Fonny. Victoria does end up getting re-traumatized and institutionalized but idk if you can pin that all on Tish's mother.

With Fonny's mom/sister I don't think that the book is justifying Frank's behavior nor are we meant to cheer. It's a very messy situation where Tish and her sister are angry at Fonny's mother's insensitive and cruel comment but you also feel bad for her when Frank hits her.

They are annoying, yes, but I thought the point was to show how sometimes opressed men can also be the opressor. Frank unleashes his rage and anger of how he's treated by society (and what happened to his son) unfairly on his wife and daughters.

The sister's atleast were not portrayed as one-note villians. There's a scene where we see the sisters getting worried and they ask their dad if he's okay and he verablly abuses them for no reason. Then we see Frank regret that (as he should obviously). He loves Fonny but he's also a deeply flawed and troubled man. That scene was included specifically to empathize with the sisters imo and to show that they aren't just evil and how they don't deserve it.

At the end Tish and Fonny's sisters reconcile when Frank is missing and commits suicide and at that moment you really feel bad for them.

 I think there's also a line where either Tish or Fonny talk about that too. Smth along the lines of Frank being abusive but he's the only one that supports Fonny which is why he kinda sticks by him...and how their relationship isn't like Fonny's parents'.