Why do some men seem to confuse fear with respect?

Audio of Tyreek and his fiance arguing about what happened to their 4 year old son when he broke his arm.
Tyreek insists that his son respects him.
His fiance said it’s not respect, it’s terror.
As you listen, it is plain that he’s an abusive asshole. He says “And you should be terrified of me too, bitch.”
If there is anyone who wants to somehow excuse him, this was less than a year ago.
BTW, they both lost custody of their son because the DA couldn’t tell who had hurt him.

Why does he continue to insist that that his son respects him when it becomes clear that the baby is simply terrified of the brute?