It is a stylistic device that serves as a sort of emphasis. Rhetorically censoring all or part calls attention to it as profanity.
You hear an analogous effect used a lot in spoken speech (definitely in the UK, not sure about USA), for example, "ff-<beat>-in' thing". This stresses it in a way, similar to varying tone or volume, that would be missed in a flat reading.
You hear an analogous effect used a lot in spoken speech (definitely in the UK, not sure about USA), for example, "ff-<beat>-in' thing". This stresses it in a way, similar to varying tone or volume, that would be missed in a flat reading.