Alex doesn't practice magic as much and eventually transfers the reins to his lover Paul who sees it as a hoax and a way of making money. Roderick dies in 1947, and the reign of the Order is transferred to his son Alex, who at first doesn't really want anything from Dream but is too afraid to let him go at that point. Since the Universe is seeking for a replacement for the missing Sandman, in 1939 Wesley Dodds gets an idea to become a superhero with the same name. In 1936, Ethel leaves him, taking his treasures with her, which finally allows Roderick to distantly kill his enemy. He trades Dream's helm to a demon Choronzon in exchange for a protective amulet. In 1930, Burgess' second-in-command Ruthven Sykes flees to San Francisco along with his master's mistress Ethel Cripps, stealing £200,000 and Dream's artifacts. In 1920, Dr Hathaway commits suicide and tries to confess everything in his suicide note, but Roderick distantly burns it with a spell. In the following years, while Dream still remains captured and silent, the Order suffers from infighting. This causes people all over the world to suffer from a mysterious ' sleepy sickness'. Roderick strips Dream of his signs of power - a helm, a pouch of sand, and a ruby - and demands favors, but the Endless remains silent. Under the lead of Roderick Burgess, on June 10th the Order performs a ritual to summon and bind Death, but instead it turns out that they captured Dream. John Hathaway comes to visit the Order of Ancient Mysteries at Fawney Rig, bringing with him the grimoire they were looking for. But finally Dream escapes, and he's looking for revenge!

This leads to seventy years keeping him entrapped while the world suffers greatly from these years without sleep, or with un-waking sleep.

A group of magic-invoking men seeking immortality use a spell to capture Death, but instead they get its younger brother, Dream.

Sandman vol 1 preludes & nocturnes