On May 27, 1813 the French army began their retreat from the peninsula. That same month, prior to the arrival of the Duke of Wellington, Joseph Bonaparte left for good. In ¿Qué alboroto es este? [What is this hubbub?] a soldier who is writing stops to contemplate two women who are being harassed by a couple of wild dogs. The startled women put their hands on their heads. Behind them Goya etched other figures enveloped by a fog. They seem to form a queue, or perhaps to leave one, in sight of what has just occurred.

The scene is related to both the political changes happening in Spain and to the suffering of the population as a result of the war. From this point, there is a shift in the visual language Goya uses in the Desastres which becomes increasingly allegorical.