You underestimate just how difficult it is to escape an abusive relationship, especially when you are entangled with someone like Ralph. There are a ton of complex emotions involved that essentially blind her to the reality of the situation and on top of sharing a daughter, the two are probably heavily trauma bonded. Leaving Ralph will probably be the most difficult thing she has ever done up to this point in her life.
I don’t point this out in hopes of making her a more sympathetic figure, she clearly isn’t one. Watching this horror show unfold will be a lot more interesting the more people realize that May leaving Ralph isn’t like getting out of a bad timeshare or cellphone plan. Ralph has to exert a lot of time and effort to keep her there through manipulation and coercion.
Like you suggest, humiliation isn’t a factor here. The Farms have already scorched that earth and salted it; alogs have already inserted themselves into her family life and there are court documents from the Vickers that suggest she isn’t fit to be around young children. A sex tape would hardly move the needle at this point, considering every photo of her posted by Ralph almost immediately gets photoshopped into a man.
So how does Ralph keep her there? What is he doing off camera? We get glimpses from Ade and Faith, both of whom had to seek legal action against Ralph for relatively brief relationships. Releasing sex tapes and publishing barely literate screeds is what Ralph is capable of on short notice, what kind of shit does he get up to the longer things go on? What does he feel safe doing knowing that May has no friends or family to act as a support network? No social media, living in a poor country where she doesn’t speak the language?
This is going to get a lot darker.
Generally agree with the sentiment, however humiliation is certainly going to be part of it. It's one thing for random people on a forum to post pictures making fun of you - but if the husband and the father of your child is doing it against your wishes for petty reasons, that is a wholly different kettle of fish. When Ralph is tweeting about her sister being a whore, or sucking his dick, and she tells her father she cannot control Ralph that is utterly humiliating. It is not something any right minded husband would do to their wife.
I posted this during the Faith saga, and I will post it now - it is effectively the domestic abuse timeline up until coercive partners kill their significant other. That said, most never reach that stage, and instead bounce between stages 4 and 6. Note, Ralph fits the bill for pre-relationship history, and looking at number 2, Ralph, in regards to both Faith and May moved them in with him, impregnated them and moved the relationship forward at a prodigious speed. Both Faith and May fell pregnant within 6 months of starting their relationship with Ralph. This builds dependence etc.
Plus, Ralph was recorded admitting to Dingo he basically just lies about his emotions to manipulate women and is willing to do it in incredibly manipulative ways. We have seen his suicide baiting, we have heard about his reported violence against women.
The same person who developed this timeline wrote a book on the subject, it was great I would recommend if you have nothing to read at the moment - in short, the primary motivating factor to stay is fear. Of reprisal, humiliation, destitution, being a lone parent. Fear of lots of things, but in the end that is the reason they stay. This nonsense about "loving each other too much" or that they are "too passionate" is just a combination of offenders trying to justify their blatantly malevolent behaviour and normal people trying their best to understand why these evil cunts do what they do. Normal people just can't understand why people act as they do, asides from perhaps the jealousy aspect - beyond that, the need for control and to harm your loved one is alien.
