Obviously, Mr. Murdstone expects that the answer will be no, that whipping hasn't done Mr. Murdstone any long term harm. But our answer is, heck yeah, it did him harm! There seems to be some implication that Mr. Murdstone was himself brutalized as a boy. As the object of sternness and cruelty himself, Mr. Murdstone seems doomed to repeat these abuses on David. Sure, this doesn't excuse Mr. Murdstone's behavior, but Dickens seems to be hinting at an explanation for what has made him this way. (For another intriguing explanation of evil, check out our thoughts on Uriah Heep.)