Detailed histories of two psychotic children are presented; both cases ended in failure. The symptoms were autism, isolation, despondency, motoric unrest, aggression toward toys and persons that were seen as attempts at re-establishing contact with reality. In both cases the pathological personality of the father played a decisive role in the development of the daughter's abnormality; both mothers were weak and passively subordinate to their husbands. The realistic difficulties encountered by those working with psychotic children are described.