The actors in this tragic drama fall into several "sets." There are the revolutionaries who surround and, to varying degrees, follow Peter Verthovensky. The main ones are Shatov (who attempts to leave the movement), Kirilov (who thinks more for himself, but aids the movement for his own philosophical reasons), and Shigalov (who is a Nihilist fanatic and, philosophically, the most dangerous of the group). These characters, following Verkhovensky's lead, devise the murders and mayhem in the town: Using Fedka, the convict, they murder, or cause the murder of the Lebyadkins and several other...
Source: Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction, ©2001 Gale Cengage. All Rights Reserved. Full copyright.
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