ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author presents a case history of child George of 13 years old. He illustrates the mechanism of stealing by examining cases in which the rigidity of the defences of the child is not too great so that movement can be detected, and in which an environment that was previously hopeless and helpless becomes hopeful and effective. The degree of illness in the following case can be seen in the fact that the details are very much like those of many other cases. It is healthy boys and girls who are entirely individual and unlike each other. Illness patterns have resemblances, and the degree of illness is often measured by the fixity of the illness pattern.
