diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index 4f1fcfd..275ebd9 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-1.5.187
+1.5.188
diff --git a/base/flatten.c b/base/flatten.c
index 89af7e2..58b3d78 100644
--- a/base/flatten.c
+++ b/base/flatten.c
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ int flattenInstancesOf(char *name, int fnum, char *instance)
   struct objlist *ParentProps, *CurrentProp;
   struct objlist *NextObj, *LastObj, *prepp;
   struct objlist *ChildObjList, *ChildListEnd;
-  struct objlist *ChildStart, *ChildEnd, *ParentEnd;
+  struct objlist *ChildStart, *ChildEnd, *ParentEnd, *ParentNext;
   struct nlist *ThisCell;
   struct  nlist *ChildCell;
   struct objlist *tmp, *ob2, *ob3;
@@ -445,6 +445,10 @@ int flattenInstancesOf(char *name, int fnum, char *instance)
 	       } 
 	       else tmp = tmp->next;
             }
+	    if (ChildStart == NULL) {
+	       if (ChildListEnd == ChildEnd) ChildListEnd = NULL;
+	       ChildEnd = NULL;
+	    }
          }
 
          /* for each element in child, prepend 'prefix' */
@@ -542,8 +546,10 @@ int flattenInstancesOf(char *name, int fnum, char *instance)
       }
 
       /* Put the child cell at the start of ChildObjList */
-      ChildEnd->next = ChildObjList;
-      ChildObjList = ChildStart;
+      if (ChildEnd) {
+         ChildEnd->next = ChildObjList;
+         ChildObjList = ChildStart;
+      }
 
       /* Pull the instance out of the parent */
 
@@ -552,7 +558,7 @@ int flattenInstancesOf(char *name, int fnum, char *instance)
 	    /* ParentParams are the very first thing in the list */
 	    ThisCell->cell = ChildObjList;
          }
-         else {
+         else if (ChildObjList) {
 	    /* find ParentParams in ThisCell list.  In most cases, LastObj  */
 	    /* should be pointing to it.				    */
 	    if (LastObj && (LastObj->next == ParentParams)) {
@@ -570,12 +576,17 @@ int flattenInstancesOf(char *name, int fnum, char *instance)
 	       ob2->next = ChildObjList;
 	    }
          }
+	 else {
+	    /* The child was completely optimized out, so close list around it */
+	    LastObj->next = ParentEnd->next;
+	 }
 
          /* Link end of child list into the parent */
-	 if (ChildListEnd)
+	 if (ChildListEnd && ParentEnd)
 	    ChildListEnd->next = ParentEnd->next;
       }
-      while (ParentParams != ChildListEnd->next) {
+      ParentNext = (ParentEnd) ? ParentEnd->next : NULL;
+      while (ParentParams != ParentNext) {
 	 ob2 = ParentParams->next;
 	 FreeObjectAndHash(ParentParams, ThisCell);
 	 ParentParams = ob2;
diff --git a/base/netcmp.c b/base/netcmp.c
index 8cb52db..f20dc1b 100644
--- a/base/netcmp.c
+++ b/base/netcmp.c
@@ -5601,7 +5601,6 @@ PropertyMatch(struct objlist *ob1, int file1,
    int t1type, t2type;
    int i, mismatches = 0, checked_one;
    int rval = 1;
-   int flags1, flags2;
    char *inst1, *inst2;
 #ifdef TCL_NETGEN
    Tcl_Obj *proplist = NULL, *mpair, *mlist;
@@ -5714,22 +5713,16 @@ PropertyMatch(struct objlist *ob1, int file1,
        * single node) has non-zero flags.  A non-node entry in the cache
        * implies a node with zero flags.
        */
-      flags1 = flags2 = 0;
-      if ((node1->type <= NODE) && (node1->type >= UNIQUEGLOBAL))
-	 flags1 = node1->instance.flags;
-      if ((node2->type <= NODE) && (node2->type >= UNIQUEGLOBAL))
-	 flags2 = node2->instance.flags;
-
-      if (flags1 != flags2) {
+      if (node1->flags != node1->flags) {
 	 Fprintf(stdout, "  Parallelized instances disagree on pin connections.\n");
 	 Fprintf(stdout, "    Circuit1 instance %s pin %s connections are %s (%d)\n",
 		    tp1->instance.name, node1->name,
-		    (node1->instance.flags == 0) ? "tied together" : "no connects",
-		    node1->instance.flags);
+		    (node1->flags == 0) ? "tied together" : "no connects",
+		    node1->flags);
 	 Fprintf(stdout, "    Circuit2 instance %s pin %s connections are %s (%d)\n",
 		    tp2->instance.name, node2->name,
-		    (node2->instance.flags == 0) ? "tied together" : "no connects",
-		    node2->instance.flags);
+		    (node2->flags == 0) ? "tied together" : "no connects",
+		    node2->flags);
 	 mismatches++;
       }
    }
@@ -6815,6 +6808,11 @@ int reorderpins(struct hashlist *p, int file)
 		"Ordering will be arbitrary.\n", tc2->name);
 
     for (ob = ptr->cell; ob != NULL; ) {
+        /* Catch badness */
+	if (ob->next && (ob->next->node > 100000)) {
+	    Fprintf(stdout, "Bad.\n");
+	} 
+
 	if (ob->type == FIRSTPIN) {
 	    if ((*matchfunc)(ob->model.class, tc2->name)) {
 		char *sptr = ob->instance.name;
@@ -6833,6 +6831,7 @@ int reorderpins(struct hashlist *p, int file)
 		        nodes[ob2->model.port] = ob->node;
 		        names[ob2->model.port] = ob->name;
 		    }
+
 		    ob = ob->next;
 		    ob2 = ob2->next;
 		    if (i < numports - 1) {
diff --git a/base/netgen.c b/base/netgen.c
index cc4d04d..405ed26 100644
--- a/base/netgen.c
+++ b/base/netgen.c
@@ -1352,7 +1352,8 @@ void Node(char *name)
 	tp->name = strsave(name);
 	tp->type = NODE;  /* internal node type */
 	tp->model.class = NULL;
-	tp->instance.flags = 0;
+	tp->instance.name = NULL;
+	tp->flags = 0;
 	tp->node = -1;  /* null node */
 	tp->next = NULL;
 	AddToCurrentCell (tp);
@@ -3259,9 +3260,7 @@ int CombineParallel(char *model, int file)
 	    if ((ob2->node >= 0) && (nodecount[ob2->node] == 1))
 	    {
 	       nob = (tp->nodename_cache)[ob2->node];
-	       /* NOTE:  nob must be a pin type or NODE, so it's */
-	       /* okay to set the instance.flags record for it.	 */
-	       nob->instance.flags = NO_CONNECT;
+	       nob->flags = NO_CONNECT;
 	       strcat(pptr, "_nc");
 	    }
 	    else
diff --git a/base/objlist.c b/base/objlist.c
index 284c68e..17102f2 100644
--- a/base/objlist.c
+++ b/base/objlist.c
@@ -975,10 +975,8 @@ struct objlist *CopyObjList(struct objlist *oldlist, unsigned char doforall)
           newob->model.class = NULL;
        else
           newob->model.class = strsave(tmp->model.class);
-       if (newob->type == NODE)
-	  newob->instance.flags = tmp->instance.flags;
-       else
-          newob->instance.name = (tmp->instance.name) ?
+       newob->flags = tmp->flags;
+       newob->instance.name = (tmp->instance.name) ?
 		strsave(tmp->instance.name) : NULL;
     }
     newob->node = tmp->node;
@@ -1098,8 +1096,8 @@ void FreeObject(struct objlist *ob)
 	FREE(ob->instance.props);
      }
   }
-  else if (ob->type != NODE) {
-     /* All other records except NODE, which uses this for flags */
+  else {
+     /* All other records */
      if (ob->instance.name != NULL) FreeString(ob->instance.name);
   }
   if (ob->model.class != NULL) FreeString(ob->model.class);
diff --git a/base/objlist.h b/base/objlist.h
index 550ad2d..500018e 100644
--- a/base/objlist.h
+++ b/base/objlist.h
@@ -162,9 +162,9 @@ struct objlist {
   union {
      char *name;		/* unique name for the instance, or */
 				/* (string) value of property for properties */
-     int  flags;		/* Used by NODE type to flag isolated net */
      struct valuelist *props;	/* Property record */
   } instance;
+  unsigned char flags;	/* Used by NODE type to flag isolated net */
   int node;		/* the electrical node number of the port/node/pin */
   struct objlist *next;
 };