Apart from the title, no further details were given on the subject appearing in this painting when the artist presented it at the Paris Salon of the Society of French Artists in 1896. There are several hypotheses about this composition. One of the possible sources could be a tale by Amédée Thierry which recounts the grim fate of two young Byzantine princes held captive by Attila. Certain contemporary critics have also pointed out the parallels between this composition and Paul Delaroche’s The Children of Edward (1830, Paris, the Louvre), whose theme is taken from Shakespeare's Richard III. This painting may be Laurens' own interpretation of Delaroche's work. It is also possible that the artwork was created without reference to any specific historical event, but is simply a genre painting that depicts figures dressed in clothing from a past era, an approach which the artist appears to develop through the 1890s.

The harrowing mood of this scene stems from the fact that there is no clue as to what is to become of these two children, although one can imagine that it is a grim fate. Their vacant gaze is not directed towards the viewer. In the lower left-hand corner of the composition is a well, upon which the lines on the floor converge, and which appears to be irresistibly drawing them in. The scene is set in a particularly narrow frame, and the bare setting of the jail cell contrasts with the fine clothing worn by the children.