Yeah, FFIX never sold me on Brahne being a tragic figure and a good mother. The whole "I was being controlled!" stuff is always weak, but even then, it implies that all that stuff was in her to begin with. Kuja just drew it out of her and took advantage of it.
Dagger mourns for her mother because she's her mother. I think there's something to be said about the bond between parents and children in a way that transcends things like right and wrong, but not about Brahne being a good mother figure.
