username, contrary to what you have been fed in lubavich possibly since birth, the classic mussar seforim, and therefore the shmuesn in Litvishe yeshivos, don’t focus on reward and punishment. They tend to focus on how a person is to fix his shortcomings and to improve in his avodas Hashem.
I have never understood why the lubavicher rebbe wrote – I saw the letter, or sicha, but I don’t remember where – how a major difference between mussar and (chabad) chassidus is that mussar is depressing and chassidus is uplifting. Chovos Halvovos (written by a Rishon), for example, is not depressing at all, and it certainly uplifts you by telling you how to improve.