This work is a commentary and reflection on two pieces by the psychoanalyst Loretta Zorzi Meneguzzo, which were published in Gli Argonauti on the theme of desire. It explores the relationship between desire and the value of absence, uncertainty, and relinquishing control over reality and relationships. It also highlights the risks that this function poses to both the individual and social establishments. The trial and death sentence of Socrates is an example of this from history. The unpredictable situation produced by the lockdown imposed due to the diffusion of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is also a privileged field of observation for interesting reflections on the subject.