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While depression in the elderly is often studied from an individual perspective in the literature, the encounter with the spouse of the depressed patient invites us to articulate it in a group approach to the elderly couple. However, the resonances of depression remain poorly understood in such couples, to the extent that the role of the spouse often appears secondary and he or she rarely recognises themselves as a caregiver. Yet their reactions to their partner’s depressive disorders seem to have an impact on the future of the conjugal bond and restructuring of the couple when confronted by depression. The present article draws on both psychoanalytic concepts of clinical work of negation and the contributions of attachment theory to analyse the individual and group effects of depression experienced. The articulation of these processes helps shed light on the transformation of experiences of loss and strangeness and the development of the marital bond when facing depression. Several clinical observations are used to illustrate these conceptual developments.