Why do you think the Warden scratches Mr. Sir?

The
Warden in is a truly fearsome individual. A nasty, egomaniacal control
freak and bully, she simply will not tolerate any challenge to her authority, however minor. A
particularly stark illustration of this comes in chapter 20 when Mr. Sir brings Stanley to the
Warden's office. Stanley has been accused of stealing Mr. Sir's sack of sunflower seeds. In
front of the Warden, Stanley admits to stealing the seeds, but Mr. Sir isn't so sure; he thinks
that Stanley's just covering for someone else.

It's at that point that the
Warden asks Stanley to go fetch her makeup case. Inside is a little bottle of dark-red nail
varnish, which the Warden proceeds to apply to her fingernails. The varnish contains a special
ingredient: rattlesnake venom, which is pretty harmless when dry, but fatal when wet. After
creepily stroking Stanley's face, the Warden slaps Mr. Sir right across the chops, leaving three
dark scratches across his face. He writhes on the floor in agonizing pain, but fortunately for
him, he won't die, as thankfully, the nail varnish appears to have dried. The Warden hits Mr.
Sir because she feels he was wasting her time over something so incredibly trivial as the petty
theft of a bag of sunflower seeds.