Based on the example of Jean-Claude Romand, a Frenchman who impersonated a medical researcher employed at the World Health Organization (WHO) for over eighteen years, this paper reveals the unconscious logic behind the psychic functioning of individuals for whom lying has become a way of life. Contrary to what has been written so far, it is argued that such “mythomaniacs” do not believe their own lies and that it is only the recipients of their lies who adhere to them because they are couched in a discourse that resonates with their expectations. This ability to discern what others want and use this knowledge to gain favour warrants examination. The incredible, almost superhuman, capacity for empathy which defines the psychic functioning of these subjects appears to go hand in hand with a high degree of mental insecurity. Totally dependent on their connections with others, their relational “abilities” reflect severe yet imperceptible narcissistic fragilities. Conceived as a defense mechanism, the lie serves to preserve them from the fantasied threat of a bond from which they expect everything, yet have everything to fear.