Oh yeah...the husband and this one wife routinely physically and verbally abused the children (and the other wives) every day. Also the children were encouraged to abuse and beat the other children of less favored wives. There was near starvation due to the lack of money, they were living in filth due to having too many children to care for, and it was horrible. If it was just a cult thing, honestly, I'd have no issue with it - to each their own. But this was serious abuse.

ETA: The children of the author opened up to her a couple of months after they had left for good and also admitted that some of the older children were molesting the younger children from other wives in the house.