The second significant difference between the French and Germany version of Cinderella is the tone used by the authors. Perrault provides a sense of triumph for Cinderella, a caring guardian in the fairy godmother and a positive moral at the end of the story.

The Brothers Grimm use grotesque descriptions to illustrate the evil of the stepmother and stepsisters. They force Cinderella to separate lentils while they attend the ball. They ridicule her for having watched the ball from the window and deny her the right to do so on the second evening. Most disturbing is the description of the sisters mutilating their feet to fit into the slipper. In this version of the story, the Prince must demand to have Cinderella try on the slipper, while in the French version the stepmother and stepsisters provide the prince with knowledge...

Additionally, the Brothers Grimm does not provide Cinderella with the kind influence of a godmother. Instead the brothers provide Cinderella with birds, whose help does not come with warmth. The birds tell the prince of the bloody slippers to make him aware of the tricks the stepmother has played on him.
Cinderella is a children's story, one that teaches the lesson of good winning over evil and the story of richness of character winning over material riches. Unfortunately, both versions of the story tell of a charming prince rescuing a mistreated maiden. If one was to choose which a version to share with their children Perrault's version would easily win. The French version is less terrifying, exhibits how one can contribute to changing one's situation and ends with a positive lesson of good verse evil.