How does the masters treatment of the slaves, as depicted in Chapter 1, affect Douglass?

Douglass had two masters, the first being Anthony (called "Captain Anthony"). Anthony only had a few slaves on a small farm. The overseer, Plummer, looked after the slaves. Plummer was an awful man, given to drinking, swearing, and intense violence. His exceedingly cruel behavior was barely restrained by Anthony, who did not much seem to care how his slaves were treated. He also occasionally delighted in viciously beating his slaves. No amount of tears or supplication or streaming blood would cause him to cease his whipping.

In this chapter, Douglass recalls the first time he witnessed a whipping. His aunt, Hester, was taken into the kitchen, stripped to her waist, hands tied, placed on a hook, and whipped until she was bloodied. Thinking that he would be next, Douglass hid in a closet. Douglass was horrified.