A cannonball killed Hein while he fought the Dunkirkers. His death is interpreted as removing one of the strongest Dutch voices against slavery, with Hein's position linked to his own experience as a galley slave. The suggested motive is that slavery corrupted both enslaved people and slave owners. His death is also proposed as one reason the Groot Desseyn increasingly favored taking over the slave trade instead of disrupting it. A further suggestion is that growing Dutch strength reduced senior officers' exposure to enslavement and weakened the influence of such personal experience.
Chapter · 44:07-46:09
Hein's death and opposition to slavery
Hein's death is interpreted as a loss for Dutch opponents of slavery, whose influence was tied partly to personal experience of captivity.