When my mother took us and left my father in 1971, she had to get the landlord to "evict" us so that she could not be accused of abandonment. This despite the fact that he stayed openly with his mistress for at least a year after being confronted about the affair.
My parents divorced in 1974. It took my mother 3 years to get it. She was awarded $1 per year in alimony and no child support because my father was out of work. Any assets were long gone.
My point is, the divorce laws used to be stacked very far in favor of the man. Now things are more equal, based on the "no fault" principle. As your wife, she "owned" half of all the marital property. That is what the court will try to give her.
It is not a reward, and it is not a punishment. It is the dissolution of a financial partnership that coincided with the marriage.
