Shortly before her death, his mother voiced her concerns about his future, given his unfriendly and quarrelsome nature. One after the other, he fell out with Pissarro, Seurat and the Divisionists, his old friend Schuffenecker as well as his guardian Arosa and his wife Mette. These anecdotes provide insight into the man behind the myths. His relationship with Vincent van Gogh is not discussed here, as this was the subject of the lecture 'Gauguin versus Van Gogh'.