Maybe they were greedy or maybe their dad was unstable and they were concerned he would fall with it. If he damaged it he would be heartbroken.
There are a lot of greedy kids around. If only this were the worst example. I could tell you stories that would make your hair stand on end.
I read once of a lady who was playing a duet whan she started to faint. The pianist junped up, grabbed her Strad, and let her fall.
“maybe their dad was unstable and they were concerned he would fall with it.”
It’s none of their business. It’s HIS cello and it’s HIS decision. There was no evidence he wasn’t of perfectly sound mind; there’s plenty of evidence he just wanted to play HIS damn cello.
And anytime you decide to abscond with your parents’ possessions to “protect” them, you better go in front of a judge and get him to agree, or you’re guilty of theft, elder abuse, and conversion.
They didn’t even float the idea by him!
How do you not see how wrong this is?