In the seventeenth century, one of the most common metaphors for the immoral behavior of young men was the biblical story of the Prodigal Son. Early modern painters, engravers, and playwrights often used the topic in their works. They admonished the young men of the country for their debauchery, but also the children of foreigners, especially those from Flanders, who were known for their supposedly wayward and excessive lifestyles. The theme of the Prodigal Son was the epitome of everything that could go wrong when raising children. It symbolized the foolish behavior of young men who would simply not grow up. The story, based on the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament, is about the younger of two sons who asks his father for his inheritance before his father dies. After receiving the money, the young man travels to a distant country where he squanders his inheritance on expensive clothing, wine, women, and other vices. He is left penniless and without a home, and is forced to live with pigs. Eventually, the young man comes to his senses and returns to the family home, where his father welcomes him with open arms. The story is one of forgiveness and redemption. In the early modern era, painters such as Rembrandt used the story to symbolize the topsy-turvy transition from childhood to adulthood.

The parental and moral anxiety represented by the Prodigal Son reflected many facets of youth culture and masculinity in the early modern period. Johan van Beverwijck, a well-known physician and author of medical and moralistic books, alluded to this parental fear. Referring to the Prodigal Son, he hinted at the concerns of parents and moralists in the early modern period, and their worries about how young people spent their leisure time.

The history of youth culture in the early modern period runs parallel to the history of recreation. Most parents were concerned about what their adolescent offspring were doing when they were not at school, at work, or engaged in normal activities such as eating, drinking, and sleeping. According to moralists in the seventeenth century, the real danger for young people occurred when they were not engaged in everyday activities. The Prodigal Son was an example of everything that could seduce young men in the Golden Age.