diff --git a/libcontainer/cgroups/fs/freezer.go b/libcontainer/cgroups/fs/freezer.go
index 734fc46a..4baa2798 100644
--- a/libcontainer/cgroups/fs/freezer.go
+++ b/libcontainer/cgroups/fs/freezer.go
@@ -129,8 +129,8 @@ func (s *FreezerGroup) GetState(path string) (configs.FreezerState, error) {
                case "THAWED":
                        return configs.Thawed, nil
                case "FROZEN":
-                       // Check freezer state for current control group to check
-                       // if it is frozen, or if it is one of its ancestors.
+                       // Find out whether the cgroup is frozen directly,
+                       // or indirectly via an ancestor.
                        self, err := cgroups.ReadFile(path, "freezer.self_freezing")
                        if err != nil {
                                // If the kernel is too old, then we just treat
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ func (s *FreezerGroup) GetState(path string) (configs.FreezerState, error) {
                        case "1\n":
                                return configs.Frozen, nil
                        default:
-                               return configs.Undefined, fmt.Errorf(`unknown "freezer.self_freezing" state: %q`, state)
+                               return configs.Undefined, fmt.Errorf(`unknown "freezer.self_freezing" state: %q`, self)
                        }
                case "FREEZING":
                        // Make sure we get a stable freezer state, so retry if the cgroup
diff --git a/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/systemd_test.go b/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/systemd_test.go
index 30957cdf..a444ff61 100644
--- a/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/systemd_test.go
+++ b/libcontainer/cgroups/systemd/systemd_test.go
@@ -234,7 +234,6 @@ func TestFreezePodCgroup(t *testing.T) {
        if pf != configs.Frozen {
                t.Fatalf("expected pod to be frozen, got %v", pf)
        }
-       t.Log("pod frozen")
 
        // Create a "container" within the "pod" cgroup.
        // This is not a real container, just a process in the cgroup.
@@ -277,7 +276,6 @@ func TestFreezePodCgroup(t *testing.T) {
        if err != nil {
                t.Fatal(err)
        }
-       t.Log("container started")
        // Make sure to not leave a zombie.
        defer func() {
                // These may fail, we don't care.
@@ -295,21 +293,26 @@ func TestFreezePodCgroup(t *testing.T) {
        if err := cm.Set(containerConfig.Resources); err != nil {
                t.Fatal(err)
        }
-       t.Log("container pid added")
        // Check that we put the "container" into the "pod" cgroup.
        if !strings.HasPrefix(cm.Path("freezer"), pm.Path("freezer")) {
                t.Fatalf("expected container cgroup path %q to be under pod cgroup path %q",
                        cm.Path("freezer"), pm.Path("freezer"))
        }
+       // Check the container is not reported as frozen despite the frozen parent.
+       cf, err := cm.GetFreezerState()
+       if err != nil {
+               t.Fatal(err)
+       }
+       if cf != configs.Thawed {
+               t.Fatalf("expected container to be thawed, got %v", cf)
+       }
 
-       t.Log("pod is still frozen -- thawing")
        // Unfreeze the pod.
        if err := pm.Freeze(configs.Thawed); err != nil {
                t.Fatal(err)
        }
 
-       t.Log("check that container is thawed and working")
-       cf, err := cm.GetFreezerState()
+       cf, err = cm.GetFreezerState()
        if err != nil {
                t.Fatal(err)
        }