I wonder if it's possible for a parent not to favor one child over another, at least in some way. My parents prefer my brother when it comes to relationships. I hardly ever see them (which suits me fine) and they are frequently with my brother and his wife. Growing up, they always did their best to keep things fair in a material sense. Still, it was apparent then as it is obvious now that they "like" him better even if they "love" us equally.

I wonder what the daughter would have done if she had no other relative or friend to live with. It's not clear from the story what the quality of relationship was between her and her father and between her and her step-mother. Maybe she was just waiting for a good reason to leave?