This painting is the subject of considerable debate among Depressionist scholars, as it is unlike Rumbrand's traditional themes. One hypothesis is that it represents a work from his DTs Period. Other schools of thought suspect it's a recreation of an infantile nightmare because of the subject matter, ie, the absence of a definitive background and the ambiguous rendering of the bird/closet monster figure. 

Others agree about the infantile nightmare hypothesis, but suggest that the urine stream indicates overly severe punishment for nighttime incontinence. The Freudians say the bird represents a domineering, possibly abusive father.* Because of the absence of a signature one can also reasonably assert this may be a copy of a now-lost Rumbrand by an apprentice in his atelier.

Newer evidence reveals that this could be an illustration for a series of moralizing illustrated children's books along the lines of Hillaire Belloc's Cautionary Tales for Children, which included such nightmare-inducing stories as "Jim, who ran away from his nurse, and was eaten by a lion" and "Matilda, who told lies and was burnt to death." See also Edward Gorey's The Gashleycrumb Tinies for a similar theme.
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References:
*Die Ausgewhompen die Kinder auf Chastzsement Korporal Sigmund Freud, Jr  Brandenburg Asylum Publications (Berlin, 1959)
Children and How to Keep them Intimidated, Agatha Hannigan (Miss) Borstal Books (Gravesend, 1921)

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