Mr. Owens was a 34-year-old married teacher, and the father of two daughters, 3 and 7 years old, respectively. He was referred to me for treatment by a senior consultant; but in truth he had been sent by an even more influential person, his wife. She thought that he was depressed about his increasing family responsibilities. She wanted to plan a third pregnancy, for which her husband did not feel ready. Later on, this unusually passive presentation both illuminated and was illuminated by our understanding of his past, his character, and his relationship to me in the transference.