A rebellious child does not merely harm himself; his destructive choices ripple outward, tearing apart the fabric of the entire family both financially and emotionally. By choosing a dark path, he brings deep shame and disgrace upon the very people who raised him [מצודת ציון, אבן עזרא].
Commentators offer several ways to understand how a child inflicts this dual blow upon his parents. One approach points to direct cruelty toward the parents, who partnered with God in creating him. The son aggressively robs his father and creates such an atmosphere of terror that his mother is forced to flee [עמנואל הרומי]. Another perspective suggests she does not run away, but rather locks herself inside a room, barricading the door in fear of her own child [עמנואל הרומי]. Even if the son only targets the father, his actions shatter the stability of the home, leaving the mother with no choice but to leave [ביאור שטיינזלץ].
A second approach focuses on the indirect consequences of a reckless lifestyle. By chasing empty desires and associating with bad company, the son invites dangerous elements into the family's life. Criminals eventually raid the father's property to collect the son's debts or share in his stolen goods, creating a chaotic environment that ultimately drives the mother away [רלב״ג].
A third view explains that the child's disgraceful actions destroy the parents' marriage itself. The father, frustrated by the son's behavior, blames the mother for raising him poorly and decides to divorce her. This ruins the father financially, as he must pay her marriage settlement, while the mother is painfully expelled from her home [אלשיך, מצודת דוד]. This tragic family dynamic echoes the historical account of Ishmael. His wicked actions drove Sarah to demand his removal, which ultimately led to the expulsion of his mother, Hagar—a sequence of events that brought great distress to Abraham [רש״י].
Beyond the literal family unit, this dynamic is also understood as a philosophical allegory about human choices. In this view, the father represents the human intellect, and the mother represents the Torah. When a person chooses an evil path, he neglects his mind, robbing his intellect of its necessary spiritual nourishment. At the same time, by abandoning the commandments, he drives away the Torah. Another allegorical reading views the mother as the physical body. This serves as a sharp critique of ascetics who torture themselves under the false belief that physical suffering brings them closer to God. In reality, they are only destroying their physical forms and ignoring true wisdom [עמנואל הרומי].