Pavel Ivanitch

I

Psyekov, the steward of the estate, who is a suspect and is arrested by the end of the chapter.

Sorrow

The doctor at the hospital; the turner imagines pleading with him and later sees him after his amputation.

At a Summer Villa

A practical married man who receives an anonymous love letter, becomes intrigued despite his disdain, and goes to the arbour only to find his brother-in-law.

Not Wanted

Pavel Matveyitch Zaikin, a circuit court member, is the protagonist who feels exhausted and displaced by his wife's social activities.

Mire

A character caught in the stagnant environment, reflecting the themes of isolation and moral failure.

Shrove Tuesday

The father, roused from sleep to help his son with arithmetic; he reminisces about his school days and participates in the pre-Lenten rituals.

A Play

The reluctant listener who is forced to endure Mme. Murashkin's play reading; he becomes increasingly agitated and ultimately attacks her with a paperweight.

Gusev

A political exile on the ship who engages in philosophical arguments and contrasts with Gusev's simplicity.

I

A nondescript individual in the ship's hospital, subject to seasickness and irritable when the sea is rough.

Chapter II

A consumptive passenger, bitter and critical of the authorities.

III

Boasts about his reputation as a protester and describes his deception to travel third-class.

IV

Lies down instead of sitting up, grows weaker, and dies. He speaks of his illness and compares himself to Gusev.

Chapter IV

The narrator and husband, who asserts control over his wife's famine relief work.

V

The narrator, exhausted and conflicted, reviews his wife's papers and decides to leave for town.

In Exile

An old, toothless ferryman who has embraced a philosophy of wanting nothing, claiming to be free and happy in his exile.

VI

Sergey Nikanoritch, the waiter who receives money from Yakov and is later arrested and sentenced to ten years.

IV

Not present in this chapter.