Many therapists encounter patients who appear engaged and active, yet somehow nothing happens. The material seems coherent and unobjectionable, yet there is a lurking sense of emptiness. Over time, this pleasantness curdles into monotony, and monotony into dread. This case presentation follows a treatment in which monotony functioned as both communication and defense, and in which tolerating and working through it revealed the patient’s rich and vulnerable inner life. Drawing on Bion, Freud, Steiner, and Carpy, attendees will gain tools to recognize the less-discussed thin-skinned narcissism, use countertransference as clinical data, and start thinking about how to create the conditions in which genuine therapeutic contact becomes possible.