Given that traditional deity tales are confusing, Haw Par Villa also provides more modern lessons that have been used to scare children for decades.
Let's start with some simple messages. Drugs are bad. You can see here, that this guy is going downhill with his opium troubles and neck beard. Luckily, Mustache man is war hero Lin Zhe Hu, who used Confucian principles to help China fight the British in the Opium wars.
A wise Singaporean once told me I could never understand Confucian principles. So instead: other vices are also bad. This scene allows the clever parent to create their own tale, providing customized child fear and shaming.
You gotta respect your elders, work hard, be loyal, frugal, and avoid gambling and theft, or there will be retribution! This man gambled his hat away, and the cards seem to have melted his hands. Unlucky, but check out his stylish shirt!
I told you - bad stuff goes on if you get this wrong.
Prostitution is not explicitly mentioned, but there are a lot of unexplained dancing women in these dioramas. 
Debts. Very bad.
If you're not frugal, and/or gamble your money away, not only will you have to sell your children, but they'll take your wife away too!
You may not have known this, but if you go out drinking or gambling, your children may get run over by cars.
Finally, if you try to run away from wolves faster than your friend, you'll still die. The lesson here is to be loyal, but I'm not clear how that would have helped. I prefer carrying around cat snacks, just in case.
