After watching Miss Potter the first time a few years ago I was struck by the Victorian confines in which she lived.  Even when she achieved what he parents wished, a marriage, her parents disapproved.  When her publisher, Norman Warne proposed, Potter immediately accepted.  However, due to reasons of class, her parents ardently objected to the union.  Potter remained engaged to Warne, but agreed to keep the news secret.  When Warne died of leukemia merely weeks later, she was forbade from discussing her grief with her parents.

This is the heartbreaking side of Miss Potter.  Similar to Peter, Potter tested social norms and the restrictions of her parents.   Unlike Peter, however, her escape from the social norm was tragic.  The reader is satisfied that Peter learns his lesson at the end.  Not so much with Beatrix.