Crime and Punishment · Character

Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin

A self-made Petersburg lawyer who has risen from nothing, Luzhin intends to marry Dounia Raskolnikova and expects gratitude he considers his due.

supporting

Also known as Luzhin, Pyotr Petrovitch, Mr. Luzhin

First appearance: crime and punishment

As a supporting figure in Crime and Punishment, Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Luzhin has clawed his way up from insignificance and now measures his worth by the money he has amassed, brooding in solitude over his own reflection. He offers marriage to Dounia as though it were a heroic rescue, genuinely indignant when others fail to admire his generosity. His theories of rational self-interest and his petty vindictiveness toward anyone who resists his control make him a quietly corrosive presence in the Raskolnikov family's calculations.

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Character Web

18 connections

A slice of how Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Rivalry
Other

Character groups

Central Characters
Protagonist

+13 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the emotional peak where Katerina Ivanovna's desperate, final appeal for respect and protection is pub…

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Relationships

Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov
rivalry · negative
Luzhin is Raskolnikov's despised antagonist, representing the petty, calculating egoism… How this plays out →
Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladova
rivalry · negative
Andrey Semyonovich Lebezyatnikov
rivalry · negative
Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladova
rivalry · negative
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov
rivalry · negative
Luzhin is Raskolnikov's despised antagonist, representing the petty, calculating egoism… How this plays out →
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov
rivalry · negative
Luzhin is Raskolnikov's despised antagonist, representing the petty, calculating egoism… How this plays out →
Andrey Semyonovich Lebezyatnikov
rivalry · negative
Andrey Semyonovich Lebezyatnikov
rivalry · negative
Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladova
rivalry · negative

Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov
Luzhin is Raskolnikov's despised antagonist, representing the petty, calculating egoism that Raskolnikov scorns, leading to immediate and intense mutual hatred.
Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladova
Luzhin attempts to frame Sonya for theft to discredit Raskolnikov, making her an innocent victim in his petty, vindictive scheme.
Andrey Semyonovich Lebezyatnikov
Lebezyatnikov is Luzhin's naive, progressive former ward who now scorns him, exposing Luzhin's hypocrisy and foiling his plot against Sonya.
Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladova
Luzhin attempts to frame Sonya for theft to discredit Raskolnikov, making her an innocent victim in his petty, vindictive scheme.
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov
Luzhin is Raskolnikov's despised antagonist, representing the petty, calculating egoism that Raskolnikov scorns, leading to immediate and intense mutual hatred.
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov
Luzhin is Raskolnikov's despised antagonist, representing the petty, calculating egoism that Raskolnikov scorns, leading to immediate and intense mutual hatred.
Andrey Semyonovich Lebezyatnikov
Lebezyatnikov is Luzhin's naive, progressive former ward who now scorns him, exposing Luzhin's hypocrisy and foiling his plot against Sonya.
Andrey Semyonovich Lebezyatnikov
Lebezyatnikov is Luzhin's naive, progressive former ward who now scorns him, exposing Luzhin's hypocrisy and foiling his plot against Sonya.
Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladova
Luzhin attempts to frame Sonya for theft to discredit Raskolnikov, making her an innocent victim in his petty, vindictive scheme.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin in crime and punishment