Razumov

Miss Haldin

Miss Haldin idealizes Razumov as a heroic confidant, while he is tormented by guilt over betraying her brother.

Peter Ivanovitch

Peter Ivanovitch, a revolutionary leader, mentors and manipulates Razumov as a useful agent.

Councillor Mikulin

Mikulin, a police official, subtly controls and psychologically pressures Razumov into becoming an informant.

Ziemianitch

Razumov blames Ziemianitch for the failed assassination plot and brutally beats him in frustration.

General T

General T, a high-ranking official, interrogates and employs Razumov as a spy against revolutionaries.

Sophia Antonovna

Sophia Antonovna, a revolutionary, initially trusts Razumov but later suspects his betrayal.

Prince K

Prince K is Razumov's aristocratic patron and distant relative, providing him with social standing.

Kostia

Kostia is a fellow student who naively admires Razumov and lends him money.

Madame de S

Madame de S, a wealthy revolutionary patron, toys with Razumov as a romantic and political pawn.

Julius Laspara

Julius Laspara, a revolutionary publisher, employs Razumov as a writer to monitor him.

Nikita

Nikita, a brutal revolutionary enforcer, physically attacks and cripples Razumov as punishment for betrayal.

Miss Haldin

Miss Haldin idealizes Razumov as a heroic confidant, while he is tormented by guilt over betraying her brother.

Author's Note

Described as an ordinary young man with a healthy capacity for work and sane ambitions, slightly abnormal only in his sensitiveness to his position as nobody's child.

Under Western Eyes

Introduced as a tall, dark, well-proportioned young man, a philosophy student at St. Petersburg University, known for his taciturn nature, amiability, and trustworthiness among comrades. He is rumored to be the son of an Archpriest's daughter and is protected by a distinguished nobleman.

I

Hosts Haldin in his rooms; feels his lonely existence is permanently endangered; internally resolves to betray Haldin to save himself.

II

Struggles with his conscience and political beliefs, ultimately deciding to betray Haldin out of a sense of patriotic duty and fear of being associated with revolutionary violence.

Chapter III

Awakens in a state of dullness and shock after Haldin's arrest; struggles with guilt and attempts to maintain composure during Mikulin's interrogation; later learns of Haldin's capture from a fellow student.

IV

Referred to as the 'wonderful friend' of Victor Haldin and the only name in the correspondence; the narrator wonders why he has not yet called on the Haldin ladies and anticipates his role in Geneva.

V

Shows extreme exhaustion, bitterness, and defensiveness during conversation with the narrator; reveals sleeplessness and resentment.

I

Engages in a guarded conversation with Peter Ivanovitch, revealing anxiety, pride, and a sense of being trapped; experiences violent impulses and self-doubt.

Chapter II

Feels observed by Peter Ivanovitch, struggles with moral resistance, and experiences a sense of a separate self.

Chapter III

Razumov engages in a tense conversation with Sophia Antonovna, maintaining his false revolutionary identity while inwardly reflecting on guilt and deception.

I

The protagonist, a solitary student, is coerced into becoming a spy for the Russian government, grappling with guilt and a sense of entrapment.

II

Seen posting a letter; described as looking like a somnambulist; the narrator observes his troubled expression.

Chapter III

Razumov visits Mrs. Haldin unexpectedly, then confronts Natalia in the anteroom. He appears livid, somber, and haunted, struggling with inner turmoil and speaking of Victor's last words with a sense of evil and self-doubt.

IV

Publicly confesses his betrayal of Victor Haldin, is attacked by revolutionaries, becomes deaf, and is hit by a tramcar.

V

Crippled, ill, and deaf; lives in a small wooden house in southern Russia, tended by Tekla; made a public confession in Laspara's house.