He meets Sien, a pregnant prostitute, who poses as a model for him.
He first talks of her as a “painter assistant helper” to Theo, but in fact he lives with her.
When her child comes to life, Vincent will take a bigger flat to greet Sien and her baby.
That “worker” life suits him, he finds the peace of a home and thinks of marrying her.
The violent opposition of his family, of Teersteg, his former boss in La Haye, discourages him and he decides first to earn a living before getting married.
Sien’s family, thinking he’s exploiting her and won’t ever marry her, tries to turn her against him.
He wants to flee that family “who wants to send her back to the game” and bring her to the Drenthe “where life is cheaper”. But Sien won’t agree to follow him. He will leave La Haye and Sien deeply sad and depressed.