A more thorough explanation:

Cruelty is the act of causing unnecessary physical or mental pain to living beings. This can include humans, animals, and children.

• In a legal context, cruelty can be used as a ground for fault-based divorce. This means that if one spouse is willfully and persistently inflicting unnecessary suffering on the other, to the point where cohabitation is dangerous and unendurable, it may be grounds for divorce.
• Cruelty to animals refers to any malicious or criminally negligent act that causes an animal pain, suffering, or death. This can include neglect, physical abuse, or intentional harm.
• Cruelty to children, also known as child abuse, is the willful infliction of pain and suffering on children through physical, sexual, or emotional mistreatment or neglect.

These examples illustrate how cruelty can take many forms and can be inflicted on different types of living beings. It is important to recognize and prevent cruelty in all its forms to ensure the safety and well-being of all living creatures.