The war brought hardship to all of Holland. The universities had their fair share of the consequences of the occupation and the new regime. Jews were dismissed, the adventures of Freudenthal illustrate the fate of a man who was fortunate enough to survive the occupation. Brouwer, as a professor had to play a role in policy making of the university; unlike the world wise, who practiced a chameleon tactics, Brouwer did not hesitate to speak out on touchy topics. This, in the end, did not make friends. The art of survival in wartime under a hostile regime is illustrated by the fortunes of the Brouwer family and their friends. The famous hut was destroyed by a fire in which a large part of his archive was lost.