Agreed, however I have to consider motive. I am not so sure that his hitting Belle, while in poor judgement, was not an emotional response. If he thought she was aiding and abetting a murderer; protecting the man who murdered Milah, in his mind, she might be an accomplice. If this were real life, and I thought somebody was going to protect an evil maniac who brutally murdered my spouse, if not held back, I might be prone to hitting that person, too.