This was a violation of the social code of her time.

It was not unusual for unmarried people to enter into romantic relationships without family approval; what was unusual was the specific context of a colonial expedition, under the direct authority of a man who had both family and official reasons to enforce compliance.

What Roberval did — abandoning her on an uninhabited island — was potentially fatal.

It killed three people: her companion, her child, and her nurse.

It subjected her to years of suffering and deprivation.