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Translated from the German by Karl Scholz Emeritus Professor of Economics University of Pennsylvania
The proverb says: “Träume sind Schäume” - dreams are foam. dreams are shadows (Schäume)! (2) A well educated person would hardly dare speak seriously of his dreams to an intelligent audience. Even for him. a dream is quite meaningless. He considers it a natural phenomenon. closely connected with life. about which much reflection would be superfluous effort. To be sure, if a dream had contained particularly exciting or frightening images, if it had been so vivid that it could not be shaken off long after awaking, then even a cultureed person feels a chill run down his spine, and he has to repeat the proverb quite emphatically to himself, lest he be tempted to associate the unpleasant phenomena with a mysterious supernatural power. For a person, no matter how enlightened he may be, quite frequently reverts to the natural state; his knowledge does not protect him against the fear which creeps over him. whenever a dark might, beyond his power of comprehension, invades his life.
The dream also belongs to the dark powers. It appears as if coming from another world, without human aid, without human volition; one sees ones own self (ego) as in a poorly reflecting mirror, without being able to understand how it was possible to see ones self in such a situation, apparently not