# Mitrofan Krilov — Short Fiction character guide

> Mitrofan Krilov in Short Fiction by Leonid Andreyev.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mitrofan, Krilov

**First appearance:** 0001-short-fiction

## Snapshot

A sour-faced teacher who discovers the thrilling power of pretending to be a spy, terrorizing a young woman on a railway platform for the pleasure of watching her squirm.

## Who they are

Krilov, in an outworn coat with a torn button, adopts the manner of a police spy and finds the role deliciously alarming—strangers shrink from him, and a student girl with a torn black glove freezes under his gaze. He savors her trapped agitation while secretly envying the vividness of her hunted life compared to his own meagre existence. His petty cruelty and self-loathing make him a study of how dull men manufacture drama from others' fear.

## Relationships

### [The Girl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/characters/the_girl)

_professional_

Mitrofan Krilov and The Girl have a professional relationship, likely as employer and employee or teacher and student.

### [The Girl](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/characters/the_girl)

_professional_

Mitrofan Krilov and The Girl have a professional relationship, likely as employer and employee or teacher and student.

## In the story

### [In the Basement](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/in-the-basement)

Also confined in the basement, interacting with others.

### [The Spy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/chapters/the-spy)

The protagonist who, feeling bitter and hungry, deliberately impersonates a spy to frighten a young student girl on a train, then later confesses to his wife and shaves his beard.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/characters/mitrofan_krilov
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_34_se/characters