ble with weak keys, or a value in a hash table with weak value does not prevent an object from being returned by a guardian. But as long as an object can be returned from a guardian it will not be removed from such a weak vector or hash table. In other words, a weak link does not prevent an object from being considered collectable, but being inside a guardian prevents a weak link from being broken. A key in a weak key hash table can be though of as having a strong reference to its associated value as long as the key is accessible. Consequently, when the key only accessible from within a guardian, the reference from the key to the value is also considered to be coming from within a guardian. Thus, if there is no other reference to the value, it is eligible to be returned from a guardian.