Goffman has written an interesting, if discursive, account of some of the epiphenomena of mental illness as observed in family and community. This paper serves to further define, in useful terms for this reader, some of the extratherapeutic interactions of which most therapists are cognizant, but which are usually insufficiently integrated into a coherent case formulation. The 'is mental illness an illness?' question is noncontributory to the central theme.