We introduce a one-dimensional [Formula: see text]-symmetric system, which includes the cubic self-focusing, a double-well potential in the form of an infinitely deep potential box split in the middle by a delta-functional barrier of an effective height ε, and constant linear gain and loss, γ, in each half-box. The system may be readily realized in microwave photonics. Using numerical methods, we construct [Formula: see text]-symmetric and antisymmetric modes, which represent, respectively, the

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... system's ground state and first excited state, and identify their stability. Their instability mainly leads to blowup, except for the case of ε=0, when an unstable symmetric mode transforms into a weakly oscillating breather, and an unstable antisymmetric mode relaxes into a stable symmetric one. At ε>0, the stability area is much larger for the [Formula: see text]-antisymmetric state than for its symmetric counterpart. The stability areas shrink with increase of the total power, P In the linear limit, which corresponds to [Formula: see text], the stability boundary is found in an analytical form. The stability area of the antisymmetric state originally expands with the growth of γ, and then disappears at a critical value of γThis article is part of the theme issue 'Dissipative structures in matter out of equilibrium: from chemistry, photonics and biology (part 1)'.