The auction of Brueghel's 'Fight between Carnival and Lent' is the reason for a survey of a group of cripples painted by Brueghel. In the late middle ages and early modern times, cripples and the handicapped who could only move with the aid of crutches were virtually excluded from society. Begging and making music were often the only way they could make a living. Their injuries were not always genuine, often they were feigned to gain sympathy and obtain money more easily.