It’s appropriate for the era posted. He is physically big and easily annoyed by other doing wrong. His fragile looking wife does the same to him when he is out of line, hence comedy.

Hitting your partner is of course wrong, but also hitting random people on the street just because they are not polite. This comics theme is “acting like an ass will get your ass kicked” especially if the one doing the wrong is an entitled one. And since at the time, the wife was still pictured as a lesser one, she will not be the target of the (literal) punch lines.