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That Freud had many reasons to identify with a lion is certain. That this identification has its origin in a piece of yellow porcelain with which Freud played in his early childhood and which inspired many of his dreams is an interesting hypothesis which Herbert Lehmann has brilliantly defended.
Why would not Freud have disclosed that he was the dreamer?
Perhaps because he would not have wanted to write about the content of those repetitive dreams. The fact that he says nothing about their latent and even manifest content supports Lehmann's hypothesis. Had the 30-year-old doctor heard these dreams from a patient, he probably would have asked for more information, which then would have appeared in the book.
The lion being a symbol of strength, power and superior intelligence, Freud did not want to show himself in this light.
As it was a repetitious dream, it probably had many different meanings. It must often have been wishful thinking, not only for his intellectual achievements but also for his sexual potency. We know that he did not have a very active sexual life before his marriage; this may, have been compensated for in his dreams, and one can understand that he did not want to disclose such problems.
While he was studying in neurology, he was a brilliant scholar but a rather withdrawn person, and he could have dreamt that he was a successful lion.
If it matters whether or not Freud was the dreamer, why not ask the family if they remember this piece of porcelain? Most likely they would have seen it in their grandmother's room. Or had Freud spoken about it to them? That would be the best way to clarify Lehmann's hypothesis.
Fortunately that was not the way Dr. Lehmann chose. And since we do not have the content, it is relatively unimportant whether Freud was or was not the dreamer. It is much more important for us to know the role of the lion as a symbol in Freud's life. Therefore, we have to congratulate Herbert Lehmann for his exhaustive study.