Van Ostade's drunken peasants were, over time, transformed into sympathetic peasant folk in picturesque environs, here a family gathered before the fireplace in an untidy tavern. Children fight over a jug of milk under the supervision of their indulgent mother. The spilt milk and overturned clothesbasket reveal a topsy-turvy world where the children’s disobedience is the consequence of the dereliction of parental duties.