# Porfiry Petrovich — Crime and Punishment character guide

> Porfiry Petrovich in Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Porfiry, Porfiry Petrovitch

**First appearance:** 0011-part-ii-iii

## Snapshot

The investigating magistrate whose genial chatter, nervous laughter, and maddening digressions conceal a trap being patiently, cheerfully set.

## Who they are

Porfiry Petrovich receives Raskolnikov in a cluttered office, jokes about government quarters, and lets his visitor talk himself into corners while never quite making an accusation. He has read Raskolnikov's article on extraordinary men and finds it more interesting than the crime itself, which is precisely what makes him dangerous. His cat-and-mouse interrogations — polite, relentless, weirdly affectionate — turn the middle of the novel into a duel of nerves where the detective seems to know everything and prove nothing.

## Relationships

### [Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/characters/rodion_romanovich_raskolnikov)

_psychological_

Porfiry is the cunning and psychologically astute investigator who engages Raskolnikov in a cat-and-mouse game, aiming to provoke a confession through mental torment.

### [Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/characters/rodion_romanovich_raskolnikov)

_psychological_

Porfiry is the cunning and psychologically astute investigator who engages Raskolnikov in a cat-and-mouse game, aiming to provoke a confession through mental torment.

### [Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/characters/rodion_romanovich_raskolnikov)

_psychological_

Porfiry is the cunning and psychologically astute investigator who engages Raskolnikov in a cat-and-mouse game, aiming to provoke a confession through mental torment.

## In the story

### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/chapters/part-vi-i)

Appears unexpectedly at Raskolnikov's door at the chapter's end, approaching quietly 'like a cat,' prompting Raskolnikov to go on immediate guard.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/characters/porfiry_petrovich
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/crime_and_punishment/characters