The harsh punishments found in Alfred Hitchcock films stem from his childhood!

de bene esse: literally, of well-being, morally acceptable but subject to future validation or exception 

Alfred Hitchcock is admired by movie buffs around the world because of his ability to create early techniques of suspense and is seen as the man who paved the way for psychological thrillers. Hitchcock also introduced 'first person' shooting to movies, an effect which makes the film seem more realistic by shooting part of the movie as if from one of the character's eyes.
Hitchcock had no fear when it came to movie making, and often put his characters in extreme forms of punishment to make the audience cringe and feel as if the movie was authentic. In fact, many scholars have argued that the punishments in Hitchcock films actually stems from several incidents throughout his childhood in which he was punished by his father.
One example of such cruel punishment, is when Hitchcock's father sent him to the police station with a note asking to put him in jail for five minutes because of bad behavior. His dad hoped this would teach Alfred a lesson, little did he know it would help shape elements in 50 Alfred Hitchcock films.