Part of the irony in Tolstoy’s short story lies in the fact that Pahom and his wife believe that people in the country are less susceptible to the Devil’s temptation. Pahom’s wife believes that the men of the town are constantly in danger of temptation through “cards, wine, or women” and that they are corrupted by these things “often enough.” Like the old proverb that the Devil makes work for idle hands, Pahom claims that the hard work of country life makes country people too busy to be tempted. 

Though he is not tempted by “cards, wine, or women,” Pahom is already at fault at the beginning of the story because he is discontent with what he has. Simply by giving Pahom what he desires—more and more land—the Devil corrupts him with greed and, ultimately, kills him. Pahom’s story demonstrates, therefore, that anything can lead to temptation if one is not careful, and that anyone is susceptible to temptation.