While Ivan is the most intellectually engaging character in the novel, Dmitri captures the reader's attention more vividly. He represents the spiritual aspect of the theme in a more dynamic and dramatic way. Dmitri has a deep-seated resentment towards his father, whom he suspects of cheating him and winning the affections of the beautiful young Grushenka. The Karamazov family's passion for life is fully reflected in this former soldier's behavior, as he squanders money, chases women, and often acts outrageously—drinking excessively and, at one point, dragging a man who offended him out of a tavern by his beard. The victim insisted he had done nothing wrong, saying only that Dmitri "was in a towering rage and happened to come upon me." Despite his impulsive and passionate nature, Dmitri feels remorse for his actions and seems capable of genuine love, initially for Katerina Ivanovna, to whom he is briefly engaged, and later for Grushenka, whom he is intensely jealous of (partly fueling his animosity towards his father). Moreover, by the story's end, he, much like Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment, has a profound dream that convinces him, although innocent of the murder, he must atone for humanity's sins (this martyr-like mindset endures for a long time).

By the conclusion, Dmitri becomes so open to God's love that he tells Alyosha, in his final appearance in the narrative, "I shall condemn myself, and I will pray for my sin forever." Shortly thereafter, he declares, "I love Russia, Alyosha, I love the Russian God, though I am a scoundrel myself." He even considers returning to Russia from America if he manages to escape prison. This sentiment closely aligns with Dostoevsky's own expressions in his letters and journals, where he frequently states that the path to God, the Russian God, is through humility and repentance.