"In every misfortune of one's neighbour there is always something cheering for an onlooker - whoever he may be."
This quote describes the finer nuances of the Slavic mentality best of all. The novel "Demons" causes very arguable impressions and mixed feelings. None of the characters evoke empathy, sympathy, or respect. All of them are hypocritical, stupid, petty tyrants of all ages, genders and social levels. It is very difficult to understand their rapture, with which these persons enjoy another's misfortunes, vices, weaknesses and lack of willpower. And Stavrogin, and Verkhovensky, and Shatov, and Kirillov, and von Lembke, and the Lebyadkin family, and Karmazinov, and Fed'ka the Convict... All they are fallen and lost. All they are equally important. However, there is an interesting fact - where do these demons in people come from?
"He who teaches that all are good will end the world." "He who taught it was crucified."
This novel by Dostoevsky is a kind of explosion in literature. Nihilism flourishes very quickly and the author protests. Dostoevsky literally proves the truth - this is a tragedy, in which the leaders are scoundrels and villains. The plot is a prototype of the sensational case of the murder of the student Ivan Ivanov by the revolutionary Nechayev, who wanted to consolidate his reputation as a leader among nihilists. A revolutionary cell under the leadership of Verkhovensky decides to affirm unity in blood. The victim is a student Shatov, who decides to leave this group and snitch on its participants. The image of Pyotr Verkhovensky personifies all the danger that people bring to the world with their inner strength. They are capable of leading the crowd, imbuing them with their ideas, but virtue is alien for them.
"I am still capable, as I always was, of desiring to do something good, and of feeling pleasure from it; at the same time I desire evil and feel pleasure from that too."
Stavrogin is as conflicting as Verkhovensky, but he is not self-enamored and there is no egomania in him. There is a confrontation between Good and Evil in him, the eternal struggle, the result of which is unclear. The complete degradation of the personality of Stavrogin comes at a time, when he tries to seduce the 12-year-old Matryosha. He drives the girl into total despair and she begins to hate herself. Stavrogin does not feel pity for Matryosha even while watching her spiritual anguish. He hates his victim. Stavrogin calmly goes to play cards - the girl's tragedy has no meaning for him. Who is Stavrogin? For someone he is an infinitely miserable person, for someone he is a soulless villain, but in the end he is a lost creature, a creature that has been disappointed and has fallen into deep despair. He is a sinner, who recognizes this fact.
