Hamburger's patient began analysis after being indicted for molesting a little girl. The patient persistently denied being guilty as accused, but nevertheless manifested extreme feelings of guilt. Analysis revealed strong Oedipal guilt stimulated by the legal accusation. The 'incident' of which the patient was accused, if it occurred in actuality, may have been precipitated to furnish a factual basis for the unconscious Oedipal guilt. A 'guilty reaction' to a legal accusation may be very difficult to evaluate because of the unconscious factors that may contribute to it.