# Critique of Bourgeois Society in What Is to Be Done?

> Theme guide for What Is to Be Done? by Nikolay Chernyshevsky.

The book condemns the greed, hypocrisy, and moral corruption of the upper classes and the merchant milieu, as seen in Vera's mother's scheming and the empty lives of the wealthy.

## Where it surfaces

- [III: Preface](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/iii-preface): The author scolds the public for its mental helplessness and lack of critical thinking, reflecting a critique of societal norms.
- [Part I: The Life of Viéra Pavlovna in Her Parents’ Family](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/part-i-the-life-of-vi-ra-pavlovna-in-her-parents-family): Marya Alekséyevna's mercenary approach to marriage and social advancement critiques the bourgeois values of the time.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/i): Marya Alekséyevna's cynical advice to 'steal and cheat' exposes the moral compromises required to thrive in contemporary society.
- [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/ii): Julie's outburst condemns the hypocrisy and moral corruption of the aristocratic men who treat women as objects to be bought and sold.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/iii): Marya Alekséyevna's mercenary matchmaking and Storeshnikof's dishonorable behavior critique bourgeois values.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/iv): Marya Alekséyevna's mercenary attitude and her initial willingness to overlook Storeshnikof's behavior for financial gain illustrate the corrupting influence of bourgeois values.
- [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/v): Julie's pragmatic advice to Storeshnikof about marrying Vera for social and career advancement exposes the transactional nature of marriage in aristocratic circles.
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/vi): Julie's warning that society and idleness breed abomination, and her confession of being corrupted by luxury and dependence.
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/vii): Storeshnikof's proposal is driven by social vanity, class expectations, and the commodification of marriage, which Vera rejects.
- [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/viii): The chapter exposes the hypocrisy and class prejudice of the nobility, as Anna Petrovna values social standing over her son's happiness and manipulates the situation to maintain control.
- [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/ix): Marya Alekséyevna's calculating view of marriage as a financial transaction and her violent domestic tyranny illustrate the corrupting influence of bourgeois values.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/i): The narrator criticizes the bourgeois practice of marrying daughters off for financial gain, exemplified by Marya Alekséyevna's scheming and the description of the bridegroom as a 'stupid' rich man.
- [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/iii): Marya Alekséyevna's fawning over the uniformed officer and her concern for the sugar bowl exemplify the petty calculations and hypocrisy of bourgeois family life.
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/vi): Marya Alekséyevna's obsession with money, dowries, and social maneuvering satirizes the mercenary values of the bourgeoisie, while Lopukhóf's double-talk exposes the hypocrisy.
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/vii): Marya Alekséyevna's manipulative and money-driven behavior exemplifies the petty calculations and moral compromises of the bourgeois class.
- [IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/ix): The chapter exposes the hypocrisy of both Marya Alekséyevna's petty bourgeois values and the 'enlightened' critics who condemn Lopukhóf while sharing similar underlying assumptions.
- [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xi): The chapter critiques the oppressive, materialistic household of Marya Alekséyevna, where Vera feels suffocated and degraded.
- [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xiii): Mrs. B.'s hesitation, despite her sympathy, reveals how social conventions and legal structures hinder even well-meaning individuals from helping those in need.
- [XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xv): Lopukhóf's calculated bribery of Marya Alekséyevna with wine and a pie exposes the mercenary and hypocritical nature of bourgeois family negotiations.
- [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xvii): The chapter satirizes Marya Alekséyevna's greed and gullibility, exposing the hypocrisy and materialism of bourgeois family dynamics.
- [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xviii): Vera critiques the hypocrisy of treating strangers better than loved ones and rejects the bourgeois notion of marriage as a form of ownership.
- [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xxi): The simple, non-traditional wedding and Lopukhóf's pragmatic approach to marriage critique bourgeois conventions.
- [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xxii): Marya Alekséyevna's frantic public outburst and subsequent manipulation of her husband and landlady expose the hypocrisy, greed, and social maneuvering inherent in bourgeois family life.
- [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xxiii): Marya Alekséyevna's focus on material loss, lawsuits, and propriety satirizes bourgeois values of self-interest and social pretense.
- [XXIV: A Word of Praise for Marya Alekséyevna](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xxiv-a-word-of-praise-for-marya-aleks-yevna): The narrator dissects Marya Alekséyevna's mercenary worldview as a product of her oppressive social environment, neither fully condemning nor excusing her.
- [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/ii): Vera's rejection of her mother's mercenary values and her escape from the 'cellar' of bourgeois vulgarity critique the materialism of society.
- [III: Viéra Pavlovna’s Second Dream](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/iii-vi-ra-pavlovna-s-second-dream): Contrasts genuine human needs (actual dirt) with artificial concerns (fantastic dirt), critiquing the superficiality of bourgeois life.
- [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/vi): The debates among the students and officers criticize bourgeois values and advocate for more radical, egalitarian ideals.
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/vii): Kirsánof's pragmatic, unromantic attitude toward friendship and his preference for solitary comfort contrast with conventional social expectations.
- [XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xi): Kirsánof's absurd, prideful behavior and the breakdown of genuine friendship reflect the artificiality and pettiness that can corrupt human relations in a bourgeois social order.
- [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xiii): The cooperative provides a humane alternative to the exploitative conditions of typical shops, as Nástenka would have died without the union's support.
- [XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xxiii): The chapter critiques societal norms of propriety and observation, where even innocent actions are scrutinized for hidden motives.
- [XXIX: An Extraordinary Man](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xxix-an-extraordinary-man): Rakhmétof's refusal of luxuries and his ascetic lifestyle serve as a direct critique of bourgeois materialism and the pursuit of personal pleasure.
- [Rakhmétov's Visit and the Letter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xxx): Rakhmétov criticizes Vera's despotism and risk-taking as betrayals of progressive ideals, highlighting the tension between individual action and social responsibility.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/i): The description of the intrusive, meaningless social interactions in the family home, where the inner life is not respected, critiques the lack of privacy and individuality in conventional society.
- [III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/iii): The narrator mocks the sapient reader's conventional moral outrage, highlighting the hypocrisy and narrow-mindedness of bourgeois morality.
- [XII: A Digression Concerning Blue Stockings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xii-a-digression-concerning-blue-stockings): The narrator satirizes the 'sapient reader' as a pretentious blue stocking, exposing the hypocrisy and superficial intellectualism of bourgeois society.
- [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xiv): Vera criticizes restrictive clothing like corsets and the superficiality of contemporary fashion, advocating for more natural and freeing dress.
- [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/i): Pólozof's rise and fall highlight the moral ambiguities and instability of wealth acquired through contracts and trade, critiquing the bourgeois pursuit of fortune.
- [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/iv): The chapter critiques the shallow, dubious society that surrounds wealthy families like the Pólozofs, where suitors are often cunning adventurers rather than genuine gentlemen.
- [Chapter V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/v): Pólozof's rigid, practical worldview is contrasted with Kirsánof's rational, progressive approach to love and marriage.
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/vi): Kirsánof's manipulation of Pólozof exposes the hypocrisy and power dynamics within bourgeois family structures, where authority is challenged through cunning and rational argument.
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/vii): Sólovtsof's greed for wealth and his view of Katerina as a passive object critique the mercenary motives underlying bourgeois marriage.
- [VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/viii): Katerina's disillusionment with the deceit and flattery of wealthy society, and her questioning of the value of wealth.
- [XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xiii): Pólozof's pragmatic view of marriage as a financial and social arrangement, valuing money and brains over traditional nobility, reflects a critique of bourgeois values.
- [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xvii): The narrator mocks the conventional morality that would condemn such natural, unforced interactions, highlighting the absurdity of societal expectations.
- [XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/xxi): Pólozof's delight in patriarchal worship and signs of respect satirizes bourgeois social hierarchies.
- [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/chapters/endnotes): The notes criticize the selfishness and rascality of the average tchinovnik (bureaucrat), and the legal powerlessness of married women in Russia, aligning with the novel's critique of bourgeois social structures.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/themes/critique_of_bourgeois_society
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_to_be_done_se/themes