Desiree was adopted by the Valmonde's family after she was found by the side of the road. The Valmonde's family have no children at all, so they took her and raised her as their own child. Probably we can ask how how did Kate Chopin know about slavery? Did she grow up with slaves in the house? Yes. Her family in St. Louis, like many families in the city, held slaves in the 1850s. This was the time when the story was written so Kate was used to see slaves around her and the way they were treated.