The most likely message this painting sends to French citizens is that one must be prepared to sacrifice their own children to preserve France. Loyalty to one's country stops short of sacrificing one's own children. Brutality is an integral part of revolution and the Reign of Terror. No one is immune to death, not even the leaders of the revolution.

A.) one must be prepared to sacrifice their own children to preserve France.

The painting referred to here is the famous "The Lictors Bring to Brutus the Bodies of His Sons" (French: Les licteurs rapportent à Brutus les corps de ses fils) painted by the French artist Jacques-Louis David. It was presented in 1789 in the Paris Salon. This was in a time that there was the political instability in France, the era of the French Revolution. The painting is about the roman leader Brutus, who was contemplating to sacrifice his own sons, who had betrayed the republic in favor of the monarchy. The artist wanted to let the French citizens see what a great leader has to choose for in order to hold the fort of his own nation.