A sick old man, surrounded by his wife and a young boy, receives the visit of a lady and her daughter. They have come to bring money to this family in need. At the center of the painting, the ballet of hands reveals the meaning of the theatrical action and the role of each player: the woman’s hand designating the sick couple and encouraging the little girl, who timidly holds out the purse in a closed fist; open hands of the old man who receives the offering with gratitude and dignity; clasped hands of the old woman bent in supplication. Greuze made genre paintings with a moralizing tone one of his specialties. He paints scenes from everyday life using the conventions of historical painting: exaggerated gestures and anonymous figures express noble and edifying sentiments. In his own way, Greuze interprets the theme of charity, which was developed in the Age of Enlightenment and which tended to replace Christian charity, illustrated in the previous century by works of mercy. In addition, the neo-classical period was fond of the themes of the decline of the great and powerful and of helping the needy. Greuze also denounces a dramatic situation common in this period. The man, whose sword hangs next to the bed and whose books on the alcove shelf indicate noble origins, has fallen on hard times. Is this by chance a soldier who has served in the army of Louis XV and who has been ungraciously abandoned in his misery by the royal power?