In "The Procuress," Molenaer chose to shine light on the man walking off with the girl as well as the money in the old woman's hand. by the addition of light to this painting, the story comes together. The viewer can connect the man and woman together with the money in the hand, and come to the realization that the man is buying the woman for prostitution. In "Allegory of Vanity," light is specifically evident in the face of the young woman and in the mirror she holds. It tells a sad story of a young woman who has all the luxuries in the world, but feels empty inside. Light helps Molenaer to show the viewer what to focus on and to carry the story behind the painting. .
The artist depicts everyday scenes with everyday people to express moral warnings that even the lowliest person can identify with. In "The Dentist," he uses a person that appears to be from a low class. He shows the pain of this person, and expresses the view of the time, that dentists did not care about their patients pain, and extracted teeth only to gain money. It was ingenious of Molenaer to use a peasant because any viewer would feel for a poor person being cheated out of money be a snakelike dentist. In "The Procuress," Molenaer expresses the belief that "virtue and social rank went together." By using a middle-class man, he shows that everyday people were not filled with the virtues of a rich man. He uses this man as means to express the immorality of people below the upper citizens. In "Allegory of Vanity," Molenaer uses a girl of a higher class, however she still is not part of the elite society. This is shown by the crampedness of the room and the clutter in it. A low person can identify with the clutter in her life and relate to her uncertainty with herself. Molenaer's depiction of everyday scenes is a good use of his creativity.
Dark colors are contrasted by slight touches of bright colors to convey a darkness in the feelings expressed in the paintings and the glimmer of hope their is for the future.