A Dream of Forensic Interest

I recently communicated the following dream at a meeting of the British Psycho-Analytical Society. An interesting discussion took place, and Mrs. Klein made some valuable comments on the dream. She is contributing her views at the end of this account of the dream and of some portions of the patient's history and analysis. Mrs. Klein's remarks are all the more valuable as she had no more than the dream to express her views upon, at that time not being acquainted with the further details that will be mentioned.

Some time ago a patient, who had been under analysis but had had to discontinue it about nine months previously owing to external circumstances, rang me up one Sunday morning and asked if he could see me that day as the matter was very urgent. I gave him an appointment during the evening. On coming to see me, he told me he had had a dream the previous night, and he was afraid that it indicated that he had stolen money from his employers. He said he had come to see if I could tell him whether it could be discovered by analysis if his fears in this respect were true or false. He then related the following dream:

'I saw my mother in her nightdress. She said, "L—, you must listen to me". I, struggling, said, "I will not". My mother said, "You are going to listen to me, I am very angry with you". She then knocked me down, knelt on me, and gripped me by the throat, her thumbs in my neck. She said, "I am very angry with you. You have taken and destroyed money belonging to me to the total value of £6 13 s. 4 d. The money was given to you by W—, C—, W—, W—, W—, B—, T—, and W— in the course of your weekly collection of rents; £6 13 s. 4 d., the worst possible amount you could have destroyed". During the course of the outburst I succeeded in freeing myself from her grip, and attempted to strike her. I was absolutely powerless to do so, however, and she laid me down gently and continued the harangue. She continued to emphasize the special affront to her impl