Demons Characters

Darya is Shatov’s sister and a close confidant of Varvara. She is the orphaned daughter of Varvara’s former valet. At one point, Stepan and Darya become engaged, though they never marry. It’s implied that Darya and Nikolay have some kind of romantic connection.

Anton is Stepan’s closest friend and the narrator of the novel. He holds liberal positions but isn’t a member of the revolutionary faction.

Liputin is a member of the revolutionary faction and assists in the murder of Shatov. Liputin is well known in town for his atheism.

Virginsky is Arina’s husband. After Arina tells him that Shatov, as a new father, poses no threat to the revolutionary faction, Virginsky voices his opposition to Pyotr’s plan to murder Shatov. Despite that, Virginsky does nothing to stop the murder and remains present while Pyotr kills Shatov.

Karmazinov is a well-known writer who is a relative of Yuliya. He is depicted as past his prime, self-important, and out of touch with reality. He is reportedly based on the Russian author Ivan Turgenev.

Mavriky is Liza’s cousin, and he and Liza become engaged in the novel. He is a captain in the military.

Andrey is Yuliya’s husband and the town’s new governor. He is both jealous and suspicious of Pyotr when Pyotr begins spending more time with Yuliya. While he is portrayed as well-meaning, he is also ineffectual and proves incapable of countering Pyotr’s schemes and manipulations.

Marie is Shatov’s wife. The two separated after only a few weeks of marriage. Marie shows up in town years later and gives birth to Nikolay’s son. She and her son both die from illness after Shatov is murdered.

Arina is Virginsky’s wife. She is a midwife and assists when Shatov’s wife Marie gives birth. After assisting with that birth, Arina tells Virginsky that Shatov won’t inform on the revolutionary faction, which causes Virginsky to have doubts about the faction’s plan to kill Shatov.

Sofya is a book peddler who Stepan meets when he travels on foot out of town. Sofya ends up caring for Stepan when he becomes sick during that trip. After Stepan dies, Varvara invites Sofya to live on her estate.

Blum works in the governor Andrey’s office. Blum and Andrey have known each other for years, and Andrey serves as Blum’s patron. Blum takes it upon himself to search Stepan’s home, and Andrey later castigates Blum for performing the search.

Praskovya is Liza’s mother and an old friend of Varvara, though Varvara and Praskovya often find themselves at odds.

Aleksey Yegorych is Varvara’s butler.