A cartoon in a dream is an unusual example of an inclusion body, so to speak, planted in manifest content by the dream-work to attract special attention to what is manifest, when what is latent is in danger of exposing itself too radically. In previous publications the author has described similar, unusual, conspicuous insertions in dreams (a joke in a dream; a pun in a dream; a parapraxis in a dream; a trick in a dream; the uncanny in dreams; dreams within dreams). In all of these instances it was possible, using the free associative method of dream analysis, to lay bare the dynamic architecture of each dream and expose what the manifest razzle-dazzle of the intruding element sought to achieve. It was often the case that such elements were a last minute heroic attempt on the part of the dream-work to save an explosive dream from falling apart as highly combustible, sexual, or aggressive elements could not be reined in sufficiently to escape the dream censor’s vetoing disapproval. In the current example a rather vivid cartoon image took center stage, hoping to keep the focus entirely on manifest content and leave the latent content unexamined even when the awakener begins to analyze the dream.

梦中的漫画是包涵体的一个不寻常的例子，可以这么说，通过梦的工作植入明显的内容中，以吸引特别注意明显的东西，而当潜在的东西有过于彻底地暴露自己的危险时。在以前的出版物中，作者描述了类似的、不寻常的、明显的梦中插入（梦中的笑话；梦中的双关语；梦中的误会；梦中的诡计；梦中的离奇；梦中的梦）。在所有这些情况下，使用梦分析的自由联想方法，可以揭示每个梦的动态结构，并揭示侵入元素的明显眩目眩晕试图实现的目标。通常情况下，这些元素是梦工作的最后一分钟英勇尝试，以挽救一个爆炸性的梦，使其免于因高度可燃、性、或者侵略性的元素无法被控制到足以逃脱梦审查员的否决反对。在当前的示例中，一个相当生动的卡通形象占据了中心位置，希望将注意力完全集中在明显的内容上，即使在觉醒者开始分析梦境时也不检查潜在的内容。