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Part 1, Chapter 3, Section 4
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Demons, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Politics and Self-Interest
Ideology and Extremism
Morality and Nihilism
Herd Mentality
Atheism vs. Belief in God
Summary
Analysis
As Liputin and Aleksey prepare to leave, Liputin says that Aleksey has been sullen today because he recently got into a fight with Lebyadkin. Lebyadkin beats his sister, Marya, who experiences seizures. When she has those seizures, Lebyadkin uses a whip to assault her. Aleksey saw it happen and ripped the whip from Lebyadkin’s hands. Aleksey tells Liputin to stop talking. Liputin also says that Lebyadkin receives regular payments from a man to make up for having sex with Marya out of wedlock, thus bringing dishonor to Lebyadkin’s family. Liputin tells Stepan that he came to see Stepan because he wanted to tell him that Varvara summoned him (Liputin) to ask him if he thinks Nikolay is “insane” or is in his right mind.
Aleksey’s confrontation with Lebyadkin shows that he is willing to stand up for other people, even when it may cost him something. Again, Aleksey also displays a reluctance to talk in public about personal subjects, reinforcing that he is a private person. It’s also worth noting that Liputin is the man whose wife Nikolay kissed when in town four years prior, and Liputin responded by wishing “intelligence” for Nikolay, or, in Liputin’s words, wishing a return to sanity for Nikolay. Liputin’s response to that previous offense points to why Varvara summons him to ask him about his perception of Nikolay’s sanity.
Themes
