DAYDREAM, a form of compensatory fantasy that generally fulfills repressed or uncounscious wishes not gratified in the daydreamer's everyday experience. Typically, the daydreamer is the central figure of the fantasy, in which he is usually acclaimed as a hero.

Daydreaming begins early in childhood, probably by the third year; it increases in frequency until early adolescence and then gradually decreases. Among children, it is a form of amusement practiced during moments of idleness or boredom. Children are very reluctant to reveal the contents of their daydreams, which draw heavily on fairy tales and other books and stories for children. During preadolescence, daydreams serve as a form of retreat from the demands of everyday reality. The most common theme of preadolescent daydreams is the suffering hero who, maltreated by parents, teachers, or friends, finally triumphs in some manner. The hero may die in order to elict heartbroken and self-recriminatory responses from others; in other daydreams he may engage in victorious argument in his own defense. Such daydreams reflect self-pity as well as hostility towards others and toward the demands of society. During adolescence, daydreams are concerned with occuptional roles, athletic skills, courtship, and sex.

Altough daydreaming may have mildly benefical cathartic effects, persistent daydreaming in compensation for failures in everyday life involves the risk of developing a passive and chronically frustrated approach to real goals. According to Alfred Adler and later analysts, overdependence on daydreaming by adolescents and adults is a neurotic symptom. On the other hand, daydreams are sometimes creative, suggesting forms of behavior leading to the attainment of actual goals.

The Encyclopedia Americana, International Edition, Vol 8, Biblioteca de Ciência e Tecnologia, UFPR.
E, claro, qualquer semelhança com fatos ou personagens da vida real, é mera coincidência.