The Little Demon · Chapter
III explained
Peredonov and Ershova dance wildly in the yard, then Peredonov returns inside where Volodin has vandalized the landlady's parlour with a noose and paper.
What happens
Peredonov and Ershova dance wildly in the yard, then Peredonov returns inside where Volodin has vandalized the landlady's parlour with a noose and paper. They perform a mock funeral and dance a quadrille. Peredonov throws money at Varvara for a wedding dress. Later, Varvara consults Grushina about a new servant and secretly plots to forge a letter from Princess Volchanskaya to secure Peredonov's promotion.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This excerpt marks the climax because Sasha’s internal conflict—between shame and obsessive desire—peaks into…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Provinciality and Pettiness
The characters engage in crude pranks, gossip, and petty scheming, such as vandalizing the landlady's house and plotting a forged letter.
- Hypocrisy and Social Facade
Varvara and Grushina conspire to deceive Peredonov with a forged letter, maintaining a false front to secure his marriage and promotion.
Characters to notice
- Peredonov
Dances mechanically with Ershova, joins Volodin in vandalism and mock funeral, then throws money at Varvara for a wedding dress.
- Pavel Volodin
Vandalizes the landlady's parlour by smearing walls, hanging a noose, and leading a mock funeral; dances with Peredonov.
- Varvara
Watches the dancing, encourages Volodin's mischief, picks up money thrown by Peredonov, and later plots with Grushina to forge a letter from the Princess.
- Grushina
Visits Varvara, discusses a new servant Klavdia, and agrees to forge a letter from Princess Volchanskaya in exchange for gifts.
- Prepolovenskaya
Watches the dancing from the window, encourages Volodin, and leaves as Grushina arrives.
Key passages
“Volodin made a noose, then stood up on a chair in the middle of the room and hung the noose on the lamp-bracket. 'That's for the landlady,' he explained.”
Volodin ties a noose to a lamp bracket, saying it is for the landlady.
Volodin's malicious prank against the landlady.
“Varvara pulled a crumpled letter out of her pocket, saying: 'I've brought one of the Princess's letters for you to copy.'”
Varvara gives Grushina a letter from the Princess to use as a model for a forgery.
Varvara and Grushina plot to forge a letter from Princess Volchanskaya.
