[susan53]

You're mixing up sentences and clauses. Each of your examples is of two sentences- each composed of a main clause, which are then combined into one sentence which has a main clause and a subordinate clause (the relative clause) . So for example:

The boy who lives next door is cute =
Main clause : The boy ... is cute
Relative clause : who lives next door

The relative pronoun who refers to the subject of the main clause - the boy - and therefore follows it, thus "interrupting" the main clause.

But notice that the order of the original two sentences is interchangeable. It would make no difference if you'd said The boy lives next door. He's cute

Similarly, for number 2 you said :
The novel won the prize. It pleased a lot of writers.
But you could equally well have said:
The novel pleased a lot of writers. It won the prize.

When combining them you always have a choice as to which information to put in the main clause and which in the subordinate clause. Here you could have combined the two sentences as :
a) a defining relative clause (ie one that tells you which novel we're talking about) :The novel which won the prize pleased a lot of writers
or
b) a non.defining relative clause (ie one that just adds extra information): The novel, which pleased a lot of writers, won the prize.

But it's got nothing to do with the order of the original "sentences" (or rather "propositions")

In your final example, exactly the same thing is happening. Notice you could have rearranged the original two sentences as:
The man must be punished. He stole the money.
So again, in the full sentence which you suggested you have..
the main clause : The man ..... must be punished.
interrupted by the relative clause who stole the money and again who refers to the subject of the main clause the man and is a defining relative clause.

But you could equally well have combined the two sentences using a non-defining relative clause (just adding extra information) The man, who must be punished, stole the money.


So the question is whether the relative clause is defining or non-defining. Order of information is irrelevant.