Chapter-by-Chapter Summary of Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Read the summary of Crime and Punishment on our website. You can also buy this book via the link below.

Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novel titled Crime and Punishment was created in 1866. The idea for the work originated with the writer as early as 1859, while he was in penal servitude. Initially, Dostoevsky planned to write the novel in the form of a confession, but his initial concept gradually changed during the work process. When describing the new work to the editor of the journal The Russian Messenger, where it was first published, he called it a “psychological account of a crime.“

The novel Crime and Punishment belongs to the literary movement of Realism and is considered a philosophical and psychological novel, as the voices of the characters in the work are equal, and the author stands beside the characters rather than above them.

Location and Timeframe

The main plot events of the work take place in St. Petersburg over two weeks in July 1865. The Epilogue describes the main character’s life in Siberia a year and a half after committing the crime.

Main Characters

• Rodion Raskolnikov — A young, proud, and selfless student living in poverty. He has a fine appearance: dark eyes, dark blonde hair, tall, and slender build.
• Sofya Marmeladova (Sonya) — The daughter of Marmeladov, a drunkard and former titular councilor. “A small girl, eighteen years old, fragile, but quite an attractive blonde with wonderful blue eyes.“
• Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin — Dunya’s fiancé, Raskolnikov’s sister; calculating, “narrow-minded, with a straight posture, with a cautious and gloomy face,” a man of fifty-five.
• Arkady Ivanovich Svidrigailov — A gambler with a difficult character who has been through a lot. “A man of about forty-five, above average height, stoutly built.“
• Porfiry Petrovich — The investigator in charge of the old pawnbroker’s murder case; slightly below average height, full-bodied, even with a small belly, clean-shaven, without a mustache or sideburns. An intelligent person, a “skeptic, a cynic.“
• Razumikhin — Rodion’s friend, a student with a vibrant appearance. Tall, lean, always poorly shaved, with black hair. Sometimes behaves willfully and is considered a strong fellow.
• Dunya (Avdotya Romanovna) Raskolnikova — Raskolnikov’s sister, an intelligent, sensible, patient, and generous girl with a passionate heart. Her hair is dark blonde, slightly lighter than her brother’s, and her eyes are almost black, sparkling, proud, and sometimes incredibly kind.

Other Characters

• Alyona Ivanovna — The old pawnbroker Raskolnikov murders.
• Lizaveta Ivanovna — The pawnbroker’s sister, who deals in debt resale. She is a tall, clumsy, timid, and submissive woman. She is thirty-five years old and has been completely dependent on her sister all her life. She worked for her day and night, trembled before her, and even endured beatings.
• Semyon Zakharovich Marmeladov — Sonya’s father, a failure and an alcoholic. He is currently over fifty years old. He is of medium height and fat, with grey hair and a large bald spot.
• Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladova — A woman from a noble family who fell on hard times. She is Sonya’s stepmother and Marmeladov’s wife. Her figure is greatly emaciated, but she is still tall and slender. She has beautiful dark blonde hair.
• Pulcheria Alexandrovna Raskolnikova — Rodion’s mother, a woman aged forty-three.
• Dr. Zosimov — An acquaintance of Raskolnikov for 27 years.
• Zametov — A secretary at the police station.
• Nastasya — The cook for Raskolnikov’s landlady.
• Lebezyatnikov — Luzhin’s roommate.
• Nikolka (Mikolka) — A painter who confesses to the old woman’s murder.
• Marfa Petrovna Svidrigailova — Svidrigailov’s wife.
• Polechka, Lenya, Kolya — Katerina Ivanovna’s children.

Part I

Chapter 1

The main character, Rodion Raskolnikov, lives in extremely straitened circumstances, on the brink of destitution. For two days, he has barely eaten and owes a significant sum to his landlady for rent. On his way to the old pawnbroker, Alyona Ivanovna, Raskolnikov dwells on the “mysterious” matter that has disturbed him for a long time—the main character is planning a murder.

When Raskolnikov arrives at Alyona Ivanovna’s, he pawns his silver watch, all the while carefully assessing the layout of her dwelling. Saying goodbye, Rodion promises to return soon to pawn a silver cigarette case.

Chapter 2

Raskolnikov enters a tavern and meets the civil servant Marmeladov. Learning that Rodion is a student, the drunken man begins to reflect on poverty, stating that “poverty is not a vice, that is the truth, destitution is a vice,” and tells Raskolnikov about his family. His wife, Katerina Ivanovna, having three children, married him out of despair, even though she was intelligent and educated. But Marmeladov drinks away all the money, taking the last kopeck from the house. To somehow provide for the family, his daughter, Sonya Marmeladova, had to resort to prostitution.

Raskolnikov decides to escort the drunken Marmeladov home, as the man could barely stand. The student is shocked by the beggarly setting of their dwelling. Katerina Ivanovna begins to scold her husband for wasting the last money again, and Raskolnikov, not wishing to get involved in the quarrel, leaves, leaving a small sum of money on the windowsill for reasons unclear even to himself.

Chapter 3

Raskolnikov lives in a narrow room with a very low ceiling: “it was a small cage, six steps long.” The room contains three old chairs, a table, a large dilapidated sofa, and a small writing desk.

Rodion receives a letter from his mother, Pulcheria Raskolnikova. The woman informs him that his sister, Dunya, was slandered by the Svidrigailov family, where she worked as a governess. Svidrigailov had shown a clear interest in Dunya. When Marfa Petrovna, his wife, found out about it, she began to insult and humiliate Dunya. In addition, the forty-five-year-old court councilor with a small capital, Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin, proposed to Dunya. His mother writes that she and his sister will soon arrive in St. Petersburg, as Luzhin wants to arrange the wedding as quickly as possible.

Chapter 4

The mother’s letter deeply disturbs Raskolnikov. The young man realizes that his relatives agreed to the marriage between Luzhin and Dunya solely to escape destitution, but he is against this union. Raskolnikov understands that he has no right to forbid Dunya from marrying Luzhin. Once again, Rodion begins to dwell on the thoughts that have long tormented him—the murder of the pawnbroker.

Chapter 5

While strolling through the Islands, Raskolnikov decides to eat a piece of pie and some vodka. He hasn’t drunk for a long time, so he becomes drunk almost immediately and, without reaching home, falls asleep in the bushes. He dreams a terrible dream: an episode from his childhood in which peasants beat an old horse. Little Rodion can do nothing; he runs up to the dead horse, kisses its muzzle, and angrily lunges at the peasant with his fists.

Raskolnikov, waking up, again contemplates committing the pawnbroker’s murder and doubts his ability to make this decision. Passing by the market at Sennaya Square, the young man notices the old woman’s sister—Lizaveta. From Lizaveta’s conversation with other vendors, Raskolnikov learns that the pawnbroker will be home alone tomorrow at seven in the evening. The young man realizes that now “everything is finally decided.“

Chapter 6

Raskolnikov accidentally overhears a conversation between a student and an officer that the old pawnbroker does not deserve the right to live, and if she were killed, her money could be used to help many poor young people. Raskolnikov is deeply shocked by what he hears.

Raskolnikov returns home and, in a state close to madness, begins preparations for the murder. The young man sews a loop for the axe on the inside of his overcoat under his left armpit so that the murder weapon would not be noticeable when he put it on. Then, he takes out a “pledge”—a small piece of wood wrapped in paper and tied with a string, hidden in the gap between the sofa and the floor—which he plans to use to distract the old woman. Having prepared, Rodion secretly takes an axe from the chamber of the janitor’s room and heads towards the old woman.

Chapter 7

When Rodion enters the pawnbroker’s, he is troubled by the thought that the woman will notice his nervousness and not let him in. But she mistakes him for a visitor bringing a pledged item and begins to untangle the string. The young man realizes that he must act quickly and pulls the axe from his pocket, bringing it down with a powerful blow on the woman’s head. The old woman falls to the floor, and Raskolnikov strikes her again, realizing she is already dead.

Raskolnikov takes the keys given by the old woman from his pocket and heads to her room. He has barely found the pawnbroker’s treasures when Lizaveta returns. In his confusion, the hero kills the old woman’s sister as well. He is seized with horror but gradually composes himself, washes the blood from his hands, axe, and boots. Raskolnikov intends to leave, but then he hears footsteps on the stairs: clients have come to the old woman. Waiting until they leave, Rodion quickly leaves the pawnbroker’s apartment. Returning home, he replaces the axe and, without undressing, falls onto the bed, sinking into oblivion.

Part II

Chapter 1

Raskolnikov contracts a fever and does not wake up until three in the afternoon. Upon waking, the hero remembers what happened. He frantically checks all his clothes to make sure there are no traces of blood. And he immediately finds the valuables he took from the pawnbroker, which he had completely forgotten about. He decides to hide them in the corner of the room.

Nastasya comes to Rodion. She hands him a summons from the district police officer: he must appear at the police station. Rodion is nervous, but at the station, it turns out he only needs to sign a promissory note obligating him to pay his debt to the landlady.

As Rodion is about to leave the station, he accidentally overhears the police discussing the murder of Alyona Ivanovna and her sister and faints. Everyone concludes that Raskolnikov is sick and lets him go home.

Chapter 2

Fearing a search, Rodion secretly hides the old woman’s valuables—a purse with money and jewelry—under a stone in a secluded courtyard surrounded by blank walls.

Chapter 3

Upon returning home, Raskolnikov spends several days in a state of stupor, and upon waking, he finds Razumikhin and Nastasya beside him. Rodion is given a money transfer from his mother, which she sent to pay for the lodging. Dmitry tells his friend that during his illness, the policeman Zametov visited Rodion several times and asked questions about his property.

Chapter 4

Another acquaintance, the medical student Zosimov, visits Raskolnikov. He starts a conversation about the murder of Alyona Ivanovna and her sister Lizaveta, saying that many people are suspected of the crime, including the painter Nikolka, but the police currently lack reliable evidence.

Chapter 5

Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin becomes Raskolnikov’s guest. Raskolnikov accuses Luzhin of intending to marry Dunya so that the girl would be grateful to him all her life for saving her family from destitution. Luzhin tries to deny this. Raskolnikov, enraged, throws him out.

Raskolnikov’s friends also leave. Razumikhin is worried about his friend, believing that “something is turning in his head! Something fixed, exhausting.“

Chapter 6

Accidentally dropping into the tavern “The Crystal Palace,” Raskolnikov meets Zametov there. Discussing the old woman’s murder case, Rodion expresses his opinion on how he would act if he were the murderer, and asks what Zametov would do if he were the murderer, and practically states directly that he killed the old woman. Zametov concludes that Rodion is insane and does not believe in his guilt.

Strolling through the city, Raskolnikov decides to drown himself, but, changing his mind, he heads towards the house of the murdered old pawnbroker in a semi-lost state. There, despite the repairs, Rodion begins to talk to the workers about the crime. Everyone considers him mad.

Chapter 7

On his way to Razumikhin’s, Raskolnikov sees a crowd gathered around the drunken Marmeladov, who has been accidentally run over. The injured man is taken home in critical condition. Before dying, Marmeladov asks Sonya for forgiveness and dies in his daughter’s arms. Raskolnikov gives all his savings for Marmeladov’s funeral.

Rodion feels he is beginning to recover and goes to visit Razumikhin. Dmitry accompanies him home. Approaching Raskolnikov’s house, the students notice a light in his window. When the friends go up to the room, it turns out that his mother and sister have come to visit Rodion. Upon seeing his loved ones, Raskolnikov faints.

Part III

Chapter 1

Upon regaining consciousness, Rodion asks his loved ones not to worry. During a conversation with his sister about Luzhin, Raskolnikov insists that she reject him. Pulcheria Alexandrovna wants to stay and look after her son, but Razumikhin persuades the woman to return to the hotel.

Razumikhin is very taken with Dunya; her beauty attracts him: her appearance combines strength and confidence with tenderness and pleasantness.

Chapter 2

In the morning, Razumikhin visits Raskolnikov’s mother and sister. Pulcheria Alexandrovna tells Dmitry that they received a letter from Pyotr Petrovich. Luzhin writes that he wants to visit them, but asks that Rodion not be present at their meeting. The mother and Dunya head to Raskolnikov’s.

Chapter 3

Raskolnikov feels better. Rodion shares with his mother and sister his story of how he spent all his money on the funeral of a poor family last night. Raskolnikov notices that his relatives are afraid of him. A conversation about Luzhin begins. Rodion dislikes that Pyotr Petrovich does not show proper attention to his fiancée. The young man receives a letter from Pyotr Petrovich, and he is ready to act as his relatives see fit. Dunya believes that Rodion must be present during Luzhin’s visit.

Chapter 4

Sonya comes to Raskolnikov with an invitation to Marmeladov’s funeral. Despite the fact that the girl’s reputation prevents her from socializing equally with Rodion’s mother and sister, the young man considers her close. Before leaving, Dunya bows to Sonya, which greatly embarrasses the girl.

By the time Sonya comes home from work, she notices a strange man who has started following her. Later it turns out that this stranger is her neighbor Svidrigailov.

Chapter 5

Raskolnikov and Razumikhin decide to visit Porfiry Petrovich at Rodion’s request. They ask their friend to introduce them to the investigator. Raskolnikov asks Porfiry how he can claim his rights to the items he pawned with the old woman. The investigator says that he must submit a statement to the police and that these items have not been lost, as he remembers them after their seizure during the investigation.

During the conversation with Porfiry about the pawnbroker’s death, Rodion realizes that he is also a suspect. Porfiry recalls an article written by Rodion. In it, Raskolnikov puts forward his own theory, according to which people are divided into “ordinary” and “extraordinary”: “Ordinary people must live in obedience and have no right to violate the law; extraordinary people, however, have the right to commit all sorts of crimes and freely violate the law, precisely because they are extraordinary.” Porfiry asks Raskolnikov if he considers himself such an “extraordinary” person and capable of murder or robbery, and Raskolnikov replies that “it is quite possible.“

Investigating the case, the investigator asks Raskolnikov whether he saw, for example, the painters during his last visit to the pawnbroker. After a delay in his answer, the young man says he did not see them. At this very moment, Razumikhin answers for his friend, saying that he was at the old woman’s three days before the murder, when the painters were not yet there, as they worked on the day of the crime. The students leave Porfiry.

Chapter 6

Outside Rodion’s house, a stranger was waiting, who called him a murderer and, refusing to explain, walked away.

At Raskolnikov’s house, the fever begins to torment him again. He dreams of the stranger who led him to the old pawnbroker’s apartment. Rodion hits Alyona Ivanovna on the head with an axe, but she laughs. The student tries to escape but sees a surrounding crowd of condemning people. Rodion wakes up.

Svidrigailov comes to Raskolnikov.

Part IV

Chapter 1

Dunya’s reputation was severely damaged by the appearance of Svidrigailov, and this fact does not please Raskolnikov. Arkady Ivanovich expresses the opinion that he and Rodion are very similar—they are “birds of a feather.” Svidrigailov hopes to persuade Raskolnikov to arrange a meeting with Dunya, since his wife left the girl three thousand rubles, and he himself is willing to give her ten thousand in compensation for all the troubles she endured. However, Rodion refuses to arrange such a meeting.

Chapters 2 and 3

In the evening, Rodion Raskolnikov and Razumikhin visit Rodion’s mother and sister. Luzhin is outraged that the women did not heed his request, and does not want to discuss the wedding details in Raskolnikov’s presence. Luzhin reminds Dunya of her family’s difficult situation, reproaching the girl for not realizing her lucky fate. Dunya declares that she cannot choose between her brother and her fiancé. Luzhin is enraged, they quarrel, and the girl asks Pyotr Petrovich to leave the room.

Chapter 4

Raskolnikov visits Sonya. “Sonya’s room resembled a shed with a very unusual shape, which gave it a somewhat bad look.” During the conversation, the young man asks what will happen to the girl now, as she is left with Katerina Ivanovna and her children. Sonya explains that she cannot leave them because they will die of hunger without her help. Raskolnikov kneels before Sonya, and the girl thinks he has gone mad, but Rodion explains his behavior: “I am not bowing to you, I am showing reverence to human suffering.“

Rodion notices the New Testament lying on the table. He asks her to read him the chapter about the resurrection of Lazarus: “the wick had long been extinguished in the crooked candlestick, dimly illuminating in that beggarly room a murderer and a prostitute, strangely met over the reading of the eternal book.” Upon leaving, Rodion promises to come the next day and tell Sonya who killed Lizaveta.

All this conversation was overheard by Svidrigailov, who was in the adjacent room.

Chapter 5

The next day, Raskolnikov visits Porfiry Petrovich with a request to return his belongings. The investigator tries to test Rodion again. Unable to bear it, Rodion becomes very nervous and asks Porfiry to finally declare him guilty or innocent of the old woman’s murder. However, the investigator evades an answer, stating that there is a surprise in the next room, but does not reveal what it is.

Chapter 6

Suddenly, Raskolnikov and Porfiry are surprised by the appearance of the painter Nikolka, who confesses to the murder of Alyona Ivanovna in front of everyone. Raskolnikov returns home and on the threshold of his apartment meets the mysterious commoner who had accused him of murder. The man apologizes for his words: it turns out that he was the “surprise” prepared by Porfiry and now regrets his mistake. Rodion feels calmer.

Part V

Chapter 1

Luzhin asserts that Raskolnikov is solely to blame for the quarrel with Dunya. Pyotr Petrovich believes that it was his mistake not to give Raskolnikov money before the wedding, as this could have solved many problems. In his desire to take revenge on Rodion, Luzhin asks his roommate Lebezyatnikov, who is well acquainted with Sonya, to call the girl to him. Pyotr Petrovich apologizes to Sonya for not being able to attend the funeral (although invited) and gives her ten rubles. Lebezyatnikov notices that Luzhin is planning something but does not yet understand what.

Chapter 2

Katerina Ivanovna organizes a respectable memorial dinner for her husband, although several invited guests do not show up. Raskolnikov attends the ceremony. Katerina Ivanovna starts quarreling with the landlady, Amalia Ivanovna, over the fact that she invited the wrong people to the memorial dinner whom she wanted to see at the funeral. Pyotr Petrovich joins them during their quarrel.

Chapter 3

Luzhin accuses Sonya of stealing a hundred rubles from him and claims that Lebezyatnikov was a witness. At first, the girl is stunned, but then resolutely denies her guilt and returns Pyotr Petrovich his ten rubles. Doubting the girl’s sin, Katerina Ivanovna searches her daughter’s pockets and finds the hundred-ruble note. Lebezyatnikov realizes that Luzhin has put him in a difficult position and informs those present that he remembered how Pyotr Petrovich himself slipped the money to Sonya. Raskolnikov also steps in to defend Sonya. Luzhin is outraged and angry, threatening to call the police. Amalia Ivanovna drives Katerina Ivanovna and her children out of the apartment.

Chapter 4

Raskolnikov goes to Sonya’s, thinking about whether to tell the girl who killed Lizaveta. He realizes that he must confess everything. Suffering, Rodion frankly confesses the murder to Sonya. She fully understands him and sympathizes; she is even ready to go to penal servitude with him. Sonya asks Rodion why he went to kill if he did not even take the spoils from her, to which he replies that he wanted to become Napoleon: “I wanted to dare, and I killed… I just wanted to dare, Sonya, that’s the whole reason!” Sonya tells him that he must go and confess to the crime, then his God will forgive him and “send life again.”

Chapter 5

Lebezyatnikov comes to Sonya and informs her that Katerina Ivanovna has lost her mind: she is forcing the children to beg, walking in the street, beating a frying pan, and making them sing and dance. Katerina Ivanovna is found and taken to Sonya’s room, where she dies.

Svidrigailov approaches Rodion, who is at Sonya’s. Arkady Ivanovich announces that he will pay for Katerina Ivanovna’s funeral, place the children in orphanages, and take care of Sonya’s future, asking Rodion to tell Dunya that he will spend all the ten thousand he wanted to give her. When Rodion asks why Arkady Ivanovich has become so generous, Svidrigailov replies that he overheard all their conversations with Sonya through the wall.

Part VI

Chapters 1-2

Katerina Ivanovna’s funeral. Razumikhin tells Rodion that Pulcheria Alexandrovna has fallen ill.

Porfiry appears at Raskolnikov’s. The investigator states that he considers Rodion the suspect in the murder. He advises him to come to the station with a confession, giving him two days to think it over. However, there is no evidence against Raskolnikov, and he does not confess to the murder yet.

Chapters 3-4

Raskolnikov realizes that he must talk to Svidrigailov: “this man had some kind of power over him.” Rodion meets Arkady Ivanovich in a tavern. Svidrigailov tells Raskolnikov about his relationship with his deceased wife and that he was indeed in love with Dunya, but now he has a fiancée.

Chapter 5

Svidrigailov leaves the tavern and secretly meets with Dunya. Arkady Ivanovich insists that the girl visit his apartment. Svidrigailov tells Dunya about the overheard conversation between Sonya and Rodion. The man promises to help Raskolnikov escape to America in exchange for Dunya’s favor and love. The girl wishes to leave, but the door is locked. Dunya finds a hidden revolver, fires several shots at the man, but misses and asks to be let go. Svidrigailov gives Dunya the key. The girl, dropping the weapon, leaves.

Chapter 6

Svidrigailov spends the whole evening in taverns, entertaining himself and enjoying alcohol. Late in the evening, he returns home and decides to visit Sonya. Arkady Ivanovich confesses to the girl that he is going to leave for America and put everything behind him. Sonya, in turn, thanks him for his help with the funeral and support for the needy. She did not expect him to so generously give her three thousand rubles to help her start a new life. At first, she refuses to accept the money, but Svidrigailov assures her that he knows about her readiness to go to penal servitude for Rodion, and this money will certainly come in handy.

Immersed in his thoughts, Svidrigailov decides to take a walk through the city streets. He ends up in a gloomy, secluded area and stops at a hotel. At night, he dreams of an adolescent girl who died because of his cruelty and deceit. She drowned after he broke her heart. Waking up at dawn, Svidrigailov takes Dunya’s revolver and shoots himself in the head.

Chapter 7

Before bidding farewell to his sister and mother, Raskolnikov announces his intention to confess to the old woman’s murder and begin a new life. Rodion regrets that he could not overcome the forbidden boundary between his theory and his own conscience.

Chapter 8

Raskolnikov goes to Sonya, who puts a small cypress cross on him and advises him to go to the crossroads, kiss the earth, and say aloud: “I am a murderer.” Rodion follows Sonya’s advice and then goes to the police station, where he confesses to the murder of the old pawnbroker and her sister. There, he learns of Svidrigailov’s suicide.

Epilogue

Chapter 1

Rodion is sentenced to eight years of penal servitude in Siberia. Pulcheria Alexandrovna fell ill at the very beginning of the trial; her illness was of a nervous nature and resembled madness, so Dunya and Razumikhin decided to take her away from St. Petersburg. The woman invented a story that Raskolnikov had left and lives her life according to this fabrication.

Sonya went with the party of prisoners, including Raskolnikov, who were sent to penal servitude. Dunya and Razumikhin married and plan to move to Siberia in five years. Some time later, Pulcheria Alexandrovna dies from longing for her son.

Chapter 2

In exile, Rodion was unpopular among the other prisoners because of his uncommunicativeness and indifference to religion. Raskolnikov is stunned by his failed fate and regrets that he foolishly and uselessly wasted his life. He sees in Svidrigailov, who committed suicide, a greater spiritual strength than in himself.

The prisoners grew to like Sonya when she visited Rodion and showed her respect by taking off their hats before her. The girl delivered money and belongings sent by their loved ones to the prisoners.

Raskolnikov falls ill and is hospitalized, slowly recovering. Sonya visits him regularly, and one day, Rodion, weeping, throws himself at her feet, embracing the girl’s knees. Sonya is frightened at first, but then she understands “that he loves, loves her endlessly.” “Their love awakened inexhaustible sources of life for each other.”

What Happens at the End?

• The main character, Raskolnikov, is sentenced to 8 years of penal servitude in Siberia. But with the passage of time, he undergoes a spiritual revival, finds love for Sonya, and hopes for a better life.
• Sonya Marmeladova goes to Siberia to follow Raskolnikov. She starts working as a seamstress and makes every effort to ease the difficult life of Rodion and the other prisoners.
• Svidrigailov decides to commit suicide by shooting himself in the head with a pistol, leaving a note stating that he is dying in his right mind and asks no one to be blamed for his death. Previously, he arranges for the Marmeladov orphans and gives a large sum to Sonya so she can follow Rodion.
• Razumikhin marries Avdotya Raskolnikova, the main character’s sister.

Conclusion

In Fyodor Dostoevsky’s work Crime and Punishment, the themes of human morality, virtue, and the right to murder one’s neighbor are explored. Through the main character, Raskolnikov, the author demonstrates that it is impossible to commit a crime without consequences. Raskolnikov, striving to become a great personality like his idol Napoleon, kills the old pawnbroker, but later experiences moral torment and confesses to the crime. Dostoevsky emphasizes that even the most grandiose goals and ideas do not justify the desire to take a human life.