Two patients are considered, each of whom, following his mother's death, elaborated an introject of the lost object that was 'frozen'—neither dead nor alive. This conception defended against mourning, which was regarded unconsciously as overwhelmingly destructive. These cases appear untreatable, but understanding that their lack of involvement is a character defense against disruptive, nonadaptive object relationship and that this is being re-enacted in the transference enables improvement to occur.