For what purpose was the Willard Asylum first established in the novel, What She Left Behind?

Willard State Asylum is in New York state, located on a remote piece of land surrounded by a flowing lake to prevent/lessen the possibility of patient escape. It is like a small college, filled with multiple dorms for housing, treating and even punishing the patient population that makes up the facility. While it was created with the well being of the patients in mind, the actual reality is that the asylum is more akin to a sadistic prison population than any facility that can possibly help its struggling patients to recover from mental illness.