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The history of the case narrated by the mother was briefly this: the child had suffered from kleptomania for five years; at first the coveted articles were mainly pins, especially those with glass heads, and pencils, although other small objects, belonging to father and brother, as well as pennies from the pockets of schoolmates, were added to the list of depredations; these last were not kept, but spent upon bus rides with her little sister. The patient was the middle child of three, with a brother one year older and a sister five years younger, of whom the mother said, 'She will be loved', adding that none of them, including the maid, cared much for the elder.
The mother also complained of other symptoms, that the child was becoming very deaf and exceedingly nervous; her hand shook when she used a knife; she could not ride inside a bus or car; was sick in the train; and looked as if something were hanging over her, which was not surprising, as the mother had given me a description of punishments ranging from severe beatings to pious talks at bed-time, which latter may have had something to do with the deafness. Two or three of the mother's remarks are worth recording in reference to later events.
1The head-mistress of the child's school recently discovered that a little boy had missed a bright, gold-coloured pencil, and G. had shown an identical one to her schoolfellows later, saying, 'Look what mother's given me!'
2The mother, à propos of a remark of mine about people picking up things, as they thought inadvertently, replied, 'I often tuck a pretty tea serviette, instead of my handkerchief, into my belt at a tea-party, but that is thoughtlessness'.
3The chief symptom became apparent between four and five; she was four and a half years older than her younger sister.
First day. Two days later the analysis commenced; G. seemed quite at her ease. I asked her what she liked talking about, and she replied 'gardens, flowers and birds, ' and continued to tell me about th