diff --git a/src/functions/array.php b/src/functions/array.php
index 49cbb5f..231bfdb 100644
--- a/src/functions/array.php
+++ b/src/functions/array.php
@@ -112,3 +112,26 @@ function array_path_unset(array &$array, array $parents, &$keyExisted = null) {
         $keyExisted = FALSE;
     }
 }
+
+function array_copy(array $array)
+{
+    // values array may contain sub array passed as a reference to a sub object.
+    // this code removes such refs from the array.
+    // Here's "foreach rec optimized" version which showed the best result
+    // performance results (1000 cycles):
+    //   get_values              - 0.001758
+    //   foreach rec optimized   - 0.008587
+    //   foreach recursion       - 0.015547
+    //   serialize\unserialze    - 0.020816
+    //   json encode\decode      - 0.078953
+    $copiedArray = [];
+    foreach($array as $key => $value) {
+        if(is_array($value)) {
+            $value = array_copy($value);
+        }
+
+        $copiedArray[$key] = $value;
+    }
+
+    return $copiedArray;
+}
diff --git a/src/functions/objects.php b/src/functions/objects.php
index 4ec1e4a..ddd588e 100644
--- a/src/functions/objects.php
+++ b/src/functions/objects.php
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ function set_object($context, $key, $object)
     (function($key, $object) use($context) {
         if ($object) {
             set_value($this, $key, null);
-            set_value($this, $key, get_values($object));
+            set_value($this, $key, get_values($object, false));
 
             $values =& array_get($key, [], $this->values);
             set_values($object, $values, true);
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ function set_objects($context, $key, $objects)
 
             $objectsValues = [];
             foreach ($objects as $objectKey => $object) {
-                array_set($objectKey, get_values($object), $objectsValues);
+                array_set($objectKey, get_values($object, false), $objectsValues);
             }
 
             set_value($this, $key, $objectsValues);
@@ -71,7 +71,7 @@ function set_objects($context, $key, $objects)
 function add_object($context, $key, $object, $objectKey = null)
 {
     (function($key, $object, $objectKey) use ($context) {
-        $objectValues = get_values($object);
+        $objectValues = get_values($object, false);
 
         $objectKey = add_value($this, $key, $objectValues, $objectKey);
 
diff --git a/src/functions/values.php b/src/functions/values.php
index 6ae7f4b..283579c 100644
--- a/src/functions/values.php
+++ b/src/functions/values.php
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
  *
  * @return object
  */
-function set_values($object, array &$values, $byReference = false)
+function set_values($object, array &$values, bool $byReference = false)
 {
     $func = (function (array &$values, $byReference) {
         if ($byReference) {
@@ -27,9 +27,11 @@ function set_values($object, array &$values, $byReference = false)
     return $func($values, $byReference);
 }
 
-function get_values($object)
+function get_values($object, bool $copy = true): array
 {
-    return (function () { return $this->values; })->call($object);
+    $values = (function () { return $this->values; })->call($object);
+
+    return $copy ? array_copy($values) : $values;
 }
 
 function add_value($object, $key, $value, $valueKey = null)
@@ -178,7 +180,7 @@ function build_object_ref($classOrCallable = null, array &$values, $context = nu
     $object = new $class();
 
     //values set in constructor
-    $defaultValues = get_values($object);
+    $defaultValues = get_values($object, false);
     $values = array_replace($defaultValues, $values);
 
     set_values($object, $values, true);
@@ -209,7 +211,7 @@ function build_object($classOrCallable = null, array $values)
 
 function clone_object($object)
 {
-    return build_object(get_class($object), get_values($object));
+    return build_object(get_class($object), get_values($object, true));
 }
 
 function register_cast_hooks($objectOrClass = null) {
diff --git a/tests/ObjectsTraitTest.php b/tests/ObjectsTraitTest.php
index 928823c..da8424b 100644
--- a/tests/ObjectsTraitTest.php
+++ b/tests/ObjectsTraitTest.php
@@ -691,4 +691,23 @@ public function testClassProvidedByHookShouldTakePriorityOverClassAsArgument()
 
         $this->assertInstanceOf($hookClass, $subObj);
     }
+
+    public function testShouldNotChangeObjectValuesIfGetValuesCopiedTrue()
+    {
+        $subObj = new SubObject();
+        $subObj->setValue('aSubName.aSubKey', 'aFooVal');
+
+        $obj = new Object();
+        $obj->setObject('aName.aKey', $subObj);
+
+        $values = get_values($obj); // copy must be true by default
+
+        self::assertSame(['aName' => ['aKey' => ['aSubName' => ['aSubKey' => 'aFooVal']]]], get_values($obj));
+        self::assertSame(['aSubName' => ['aSubKey' => 'aFooVal']], get_values($subObj));
+
+        $values['aName']['aKey']['aSubName']['aSubKey'] = 'aBarVal';
+
+        self::assertSame(['aName' => ['aKey' => ['aSubName' => ['aSubKey' => 'aFooVal']]]], get_values($obj));
+        self::assertSame(['aSubName' => ['aSubKey' => 'aFooVal']], get_values($subObj));
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file