WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for From season 3, episode 1!While there’s yet another brutal death in From’s mysterious creatures who stalk the town at night, but they don’t always kill their prey. At the end of From’s season 3 premiere, the monsters surround Boyd and Tian-Chen in the barn after letting the farm animals loose in the streets. However, rather than killing both characters, the monsters brutally murder Tian-Chen while forcing Boyd to helplessly watch.

After Boyd is tied to a post and watches Tian-Chen die, the monsters free him. Forcing him to watch her die was their way of trying to “break” Boyd, as he had announced to the town’s forces in From season 2’s ending that this place wouldn’t break him. The monsters now put that declaration to the test in From season 3; they could have killed him in that moment after making him watch Tian-Chen’s death, but they have bigger plans for Boyd that involve keeping him alive.

The Monsters Don't Kill Boyd Because They Want To Mentally "Break" Him Instead

The Monsters Want To See Boyd's Pain & Suffering After They Killed Tian-Chen

While the monsters are generally intent on killing the people who find themselves outside their homes past dark, death isn’t their only objective with From’s large cast of characters. Rather, the monsters also revel in psychologically torturing the residents, with the town’s sheriff, Boyd Stevens, arguably being the “rock” of the community. The monsters may not physically kill Boyd in From season 3, episode 1’s ending, but they are trying to kill his spirit and break down his strength, power, and well-being.

At this point, the monsters are essentially playing with their food; they want to torment and break Harold Perrineau's From character as much as they can before they finally choose to get rid of him. When the time comes, the monsters will likely still kill Boyd after his purpose to them is served or he’s finally “broken.” Boyd questioned the ability of this town to manipulate and sadistically test the individuals trapped inside, and they’re going to keep him alive until they cruelly prove to him that he’s just as vulnerable as anyone else to their psychological torture.

The town previously tried to use visions of Boyd's deceased wife Abby as a way to psychologically torment him in season 2.

Boyd's Role In The Town Is Too Important For From's Monsters To Kill Him So Soon

The Monsters Need Boyd To Influence The Town's Societal Structure

Additionally, the monsters don’t kill Boyd because they use his well-being as a beacon for the other residents. If Boyd “breaks,” then chaos will ensue in the town, as he’s essentially the glue that holds the community together, unites them against the town’s evil forces, and keeps the society orderly and strong. While the monsters could easily kill Boyd to cause this chaos, they would rather see it happen by Boyd’s own hand. As they’ve proven time and again, From’s monsters enjoy forcing humanity to destroy itself as their morals, security, trust, resentments, and fears are put to the test.