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Two cases are presented of children who abruptly gave up their imaginary companions after adults in their environment ascribed a meaning to these companions which differed from the child's needs. We focus on a developmental role played by these children's imaginary companions and on the external interventions which interfered with that developmental role. We emphasize the imaginary companion's role in the developmental line of the children's narcissism and relate it to similar functions of the typical transitional object.