When Auggie came home after his first day and decided to cut off his "padawan" braid, which he and his friend Christopher had both been growing for years, Via became concerned that he was going to allow the fact that he was now going to school to change him.
Since she loves her brother just the way he is, this idea was upsetting to Via, and her upset showcased itself as anger. While it is not overtly stated, I suspect that her anger was also misplaced fear—fear that Auggie would not be accepted by his classmates and would be an object of ridicule for them on an ongoing basis.
Via and Auggie have an extremely close sibling relationship, which is showcased throughout this great novel.
In the chapter called "Padawn", Auggie cuts off his little braid. He and his friend Christopher had grown matching braids because they were both obsessed with Star Wars. On Auggie's first day of school, Julian asks him why he has the braid when Auggie is telling his new class about himself. Julian asks if it was a Padawan thing (from Star Wars), and Auggie says it was. Julian asks Auggie who his favorite character is, a seemingly innocent question, but when Auggie answers Jango Fett, Julian says, "What about Darth Sidious?" The class moves on, but Auggie knows why Julian asked that—Darth Sidious is the character with the burned face.
That night, Auggie cuts off his braid, and Via is upset. She's afraid that he was giving up a part of himself as well as betraying Christopher. She loves Auggie just the way he is and doesn't want the school to change him.
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