What does Richard do to the kitten?what is the underlying reason for his action?

Richard is so scared of his father that he does what his father tells him to without interpreting his words. One day when a stray kitten begins to make noise, his father yells to: "Kill that damn thing!" Richard, wanting to anger his father, kills the kitten by strangling it even though he realizes that his father's words were not meant to be taken literally.