Vlad has been at Harja since he was two.Sometime before that he had had measles; his mother took him to hospital, left a false name and address, and abandoned him. Betty found him in isolation, tied to his cot, and at once brought him to join Marcel, Ali, Diana and Georgiana in Casa Brancusi. All of them are six or seven years older than he is but he was soon absorbed into the family and learnt to play by himself imaginatively and happily.

Usually he is fine at school but he can be firm about what he will and will not do – then, a reassuring visit from Betty to the school seems to give him security and cooperation returns! At home, he and Denisa play together a lot, particularly when winter is over and they can be outside; Casa Dinu, where Denisa lives, is a ten-minute walk away.