Was the mother losing it?

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While on board a passenger jeep, after paying my fare, my attention was glued to a scene inside the jeep. A boy of 10 yrs old, seated with his mother at the entrance, asked, "Ma, have you paid our fare?" The mother yelled, "Of course!" (She hit the boy on the head.)"Why will I not pay??? You must be doing that, not paying your fare when you are on board a jeep!" (She hit the boy again on the head.) "When we reach home, you will get what you deserve! You son of a b*tch!" You are talking useless!" (She had repeated the cussing and the hurting a few times like a refrain in a song.) She stopped when she noticed that I was staring at them. I took pity on the boy. It was too much. Though he appeared not affected by the harsh words because he was actually grinning, I felt pity. I thought, the mother was probably losing it. She looked odd, dressed in a flowery pants and a long sleeve. She looked in order when it comes to physical look. But there was something in her totality. She seemed disturbed. She was carrying a little child on her lap, and she was shifting the baby's position to and fro while lambasting the boy. Perhaps she was angry, depressed, or had too many thoughts on her mind during that time. If not, why would she be doing those things in front of a few passengers? Then a friend told me that maybe she was put to shame by that simple question. Maybe she had not paid it and it was her racket - to get away and board off the jeep without paying. Who knows? If that is the case, then I still pity the boy. Perhaps the boy had known it and he wants to end it. Who knows? Have you experienced a similar incident? Do you think the mother is losing it, or it is a racket?