in the winter of 1871, gustav mahler was sent by his father to school in prague, and boarded with the grünfeld family. this proved to be an unpleasant experience for the eleven-year-old mahler, and his wife alma mahler reported that his "clothes and shoes were taken from him and worn by others and he had to go barefoot and hungry also". she also wrote that he was an "involuntary witness, when he was sitting in a dark room, of a brutal love-scene between the servant and the son of the house, and he never forgot the shock of disgust it caused him. he jumped up to go to the girl's help, but she did not thank him for his pains. he was soundly abused by both of them and sworn to secrecy. this episode left a deep mark. just as one can be angry all day long with people who have annoyed one in a dream, so gustav never forgave the young pianist who had given him this shock." erna grünfeld, the daughter of grünfeld's youngest brother, who taught the piano at the prague conservatory, said that "the grünfeld children were real rascals, brimming over with good health: they could make nothing of gustav, whose terrible shyness only exasperated them."