ABSTRACT
What is the secret meaning of the masochistic attitude, what does it hide and what betray? We have searched for this meaning and believe we find it everywhere. When we were children we used to play a game: one boy had to leave the room while the others hid some small object. In his search for it this boy was guided by certain clues from the other children. When he moved away from the hiding place they shouted: "Cold, cold!" When he approached it again they called out: "Smoke!" and then "Hot!" "Hotter!" and "Fire!" when he was about to touch it.
