I haven't followed the fortunes of the Meeropols, but I went to school with Robert, and knew a lot of his buddies. The most tragic thing is the way the parents wasted the lives of their children -- sending them off with the lie that they were innocent. What kind of message does that give to children? Think about the bind it creates. They were so dedicated to the idea of communism that they were willing to die for it, but denied this belief to their children.