On July 16, 1918, the Russian imperial family, the Romanovs, were executed in the basement of the Ipatiev House by the Bolshevik political party. While The Kitchen Boy, by Robert Alexander, follows the point of view of the family's young kitchen boy during this event, along with a different possible ending to the story, it also follows the boy through the royal family's poor treatment long before they were killed. During their stay in the House for Special Purposes under the control of the Bolsheviks, the Romanov family suffered physical, psychological, and spiritual abuse. The Bolsheviks physically mistreated them in several ways; however, their excuse was that it was always for their own good and protection, even if the family knew otherwise. A perfect example of this is the ridiculous conditions they were told to live in. They can't even open a single window even though it's stuffy and smells. “For two weeks the former emperor has been asking: just a window, just a little fresh air…” (Alexander 8). Not being able to keep a single window open in the height of summer with sweaty, smelly armed guards makes living conditions very unbearable for the family. They can't even open a window to free themselves in the slightest, even though he couldn't have suffered any harm. The Romanovs were not allowed any contact with the outside world. They have no idea and were not aware of what was happening in their country, with their friends or even the weather. "Weeks earlier the Bolsheviks had also painted the thermometer with lime..." (63). The Bolsheviks were so cruel and demanding that the family couldn't even know what the weather was like directly outside them. They have almost nothing of the original... half the paper... it was an important part of the family's lifestyle. This is demonstrated by the fact that the Tsar had requested it and that it had been taken away from him. Yet another way they were spiritually abused was that they, the Bolsheviks, were the ones who gave the Romanovs hope when in the end they also knew there was none. He was lifting the family's spirits only to have them fall harder in the end. Not only did the Romanov family suffer a terrible death sentence, but they were ridiculed and belittled at almost every possible opportunity along the way. by the Bolsheviks. They were forced to live in terrible conditions, to be tormented by vicious gossip and rumors, and to find a way to maintain their faith when they had no opportunity to do so. The Russian imperial family had to endure all of this and more, only due to bad luck and poor judgment.