Why does he disgrace and beat his wife in front of the people?

The painting by Alexander Buchkuri is called "Conclusion", and its plot is based on a rather cruel village custom that served as a punishment for unfaithful or disobedient wives.

A husband who suspected his wife of infidelity tied her naked to a harnessed horse and led her around the village, whipping her. Local residents also participated in this process, laughing at the unfortunate woman, calling her names and throwing stones and sticks at her.

The saddest thing in this situation is that the woman being bullied could be innocent. She could have been slandered by envious people or other ill-wishers, someone could have misunderstood something, or maybe the husband himself wanted to get rid of the unwanted wife in this way.