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This article studies the pathological abuses of silence and secrecy linked to transgenerational transmission. Two areas are concerned: temporality and speech. Tragic feeling manifests itself in the tendency to repetition and anachronism, a temporal distortion in which past and present are confused. Time stands still or becomes circular. As for speech, it is affected by what we would call the “unsaid”, the “too much said” or the “curse” of transgenerational transmission. The unsaid evokes silence or secrecy, while taking into account the concealment of certain facts because they give rise to shame and emptiness, but sometimes simply out of prudence, discretion or a desire to protect oneself or others. The cursed is associated with the idea of the “cursed part of the heritage”, with subjects feeling condemned by the transgression experienced by another. The “too much said” refers to those who talk about it in profusion. The adage “one secret can hide another” applies here. Two clinical situations, the analysis of a neurotic patient and a family therapy with an adolescent son, illustrate these themes. The poignant and mobilizing effects of the difficult revelations of family secrets are noted, allowing the patients to resume growth and creativity.