>in object's life-time we create an object with CreateObject('someManagerobject'). Then we add a reference to this to that manager object. Now, how are we going to release the original object? I don't see a way.

What you say makes sense. It would be impossible to release a "super" object and still expect to reference objects spawned from it.

Does your object have a "queryunload" method. I try to refrain from calling an "unload" method from a "release" method. Test your results, if you can, by calling the unload, and then calling release.

I don't know why - but since VFP 7 I have spent a lot of dealing with "dangling" references. Not event getting a proper error message - usually a "Do you want to send an error report to Microsoft?", is the best I get until I get it resolved.