If Morgoth could have forced the information he wanted out of Hurin he'd have done so, *and* cursed his family for good measure.
He cannot wave his wand and turn Hurin, or anybody else, into an obedient zombie. Force and Fear are the *only* weapons Morgoth has against the free will of the Children, weapons that failed notably against Hurin.
And Morgoth *is* contemptible, all the power in the world doesn't change the fact he is a greedy, cowardly traitor to his Father and Siblings who can be tricked and humiliated by a Mortal Man and his Elven Princess, and successfully defied by another 'mere' Mortal. Nor is he any longer the most powerful being in Arda, his evil has gravely diminished him as shown by his inability to change shape.
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