According to what Morpurgo says in a book published in 1978, which has lost none of its relevance, psychoanalysis needs an ontology, that is, a theory. Such a theory must, however, steer clear of the danger of reification and of being secretly founded on a “natural object”. Rather, it should be an ontology constantly and dialectically developing within a scientific community. This is to avoid the other danger of psychoanalysis being absorbed into a literary or narrative dimension. In short, as a psychoanalyst, Morpurgo does not aspire to be a closet man of letters, since when he wishes or is inspired to devote himself to literature, he can do so without needing any analytic camouflage.

Besides, when Morpurgo upholds the specificity of psychoanalysis, he does so because he practices it with a view to performing a therapeutic modification. The book deals with both clinical and