The Prodigal Son is one of the Parables of Jesus (St Luke 15: 11-32) which has universal appeal. It had a moving and personal relevance for Wald and he adapted it to suit his purposes. In the original parable, the main protagonists are the forgiving father and his wayward son who is welcomed home. In this stark image, they are clearly mother and son. The work may well be a reflection on the deep guilt that Wald felt after he left his mother in Hungary and went on the series of journeys that ultimately brought him to South Africa. He never saw her again. It seems clear that she was murdered in the Holocaust of the Hungarian Jews in 1944.  This study is an expression of his yearning to be reunited with her.