Why does Dostoyevesky include this encounter? I really dont understand the meaning of this part in the book
Prostitution threads itself through Chapter Four in a variety of ways. Raskolnikov quite aptly equates Dunya's imminent marriage with Sonya's prostitution. The drunken girl presents the issue as well. First, after Raskolnikov has left the scene, he reflects that this girl may end up as part of the "certain percentage" of the population which would, according to social science, end up as prostitutes. The reference here is to work published by Europeans attempting to determine whether given percentages of the population were naturally inclined to end up as criminals or prostitutes. Raskolnikov's bitter comment on the use of scientific terms to dilute the impact of such misery again demonstrates Dostoevsky's rejection of Western scientific ideals as too cold or inhuman. But the girl also presents a disturbing ambiguity: is she already a prostitute or has she been ravaged as Raskolnikov conjectures?
http://www.gradesaver.com/crime-and-punishment/study-guide/summary-part-one-chapters-1-4
