Catharina's jealousy?

It seems to be human nature for women married to cheating men to blame the women for "tempting" them. In the antebellum South, if the master chose a mistress from among his slaves, his wife would often make that woman's life miserable, even though the slave had no choice in the matter at all, and undoubtedly hated her master.

Catharina tried desperately to keep up appearances, but she wasn't wealthy and wasn't used to managing servants. She knew maids were notorious for stealing from their employers' households and throwing themselves at their masters. Tanneke, older, fatter and homelier, was no threat to her; but Griet was young and reasonably attractive, so Catharina distrusted her immediately.

Then when Griet said that cleaning the studio windows might change the lighting, Catharina realized that her maid had a quality certain to appeal to Vermeer: an artist's eye. This was one thing Catharina herself lacked, as evidenced by her failure to understand Griet's question about the windows. It's the reason Vermeer told her that she didn't belong in his (art) world.

She was atrocious in her behavior towards Griet, simply because of her deep insecurities. Further more, she probably didn't feel attractive from the multiple pregnancies. She also behaved like she was a high class society woman. To make matters worse, this young servant girl was highly attractive, young and seemed to "get" art. The wife knew her husband would probably be attracted to Griet. The mother realized this too, but instead of being jealous, she used the situation, so her son-in-law would paint again, therefore getting a paid commission. The wife was unfortunately teaching her own daughter to treat servants with contempt. I don't know which character I loathed more, the wife, with her stupid "I'm better than you face" or that little b*tch with the red fro.