If you take a look from Harold’s perspective, it will seem that the children including Rose, Ginny, Pete, Jess, and Ty are trying to rob away the farms. Furthermore, Larry had told him that he was forced to walk out into the storm while the truth was that he chose to go all by himself. This is the main reason why he sides with Larry.
Perhaps he was highly misinformed from Larry’s side. In such a scenario, Harold’s reaction is a little extreme for sure but it is reasonable enough. This story occurs in the novel A Thousand Acres written by Jane Smiley.
From Harolds point of view, it seems that all of the children (Rose, Ginny, Pete, Jess, Ty) are trying to steal the farms from their parents. Larry has convinced him that they forced him to go out into the storm, even though he chose to go himself. Given how misinformed he must have been by Larry, Harolds reaction seems pretty reasonable if a little extreme.
