Who holds pears like that?!

[-JKP-]

But why would the Voynich illustrator fixate upon way the pears are being held?
The first image is obviously an allegory upon fertility and reproduction; pears being symbolic of the female form and reproduction, we see women collecting pears as they should children. The full pear tree shows bountiful life. The monkey is probably there as a warning against animal behaviour. Without recourse to the text, I'm guessing this is an imagery warning that sex is for reproduction not recreation, or otherwise showing that the pleasures of life should be picked delicately rather than wantonly consumed. The allegory involves common motifs.

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This is very nicely stated, David.