The mother understands the rejection thus becoming angry with the daughter. All communication is interrupted and the relationship is maintained at an artificial level.
Returning to the father figure, the desperate actions through which he tries to impose and demonstrate his power are directed more at himself than at the ones he harms. The truth is that he feels helpless, vulnerable and dependent (because this is how his mother had made him feel). It is from the complete state of powerlessness that the cruelty derives. Fritzl needs to convince himself that he is powerful and not vulnerable, but in a position which allows him to use the vulnerability of the others.
The relationship with his mother must have also led to insecurity regarding his own masculinity (therefore the "need" to rape women). He is surely alienated from his wife to whom he does not reveal his real self. Just like all the fathers who rape their daughters Fritzl demonstrated low impulse control...
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