Crime and Punishment characters

Also known as Rodya, Rodion Romanovich

Appears from the start

An impoverished former student living in a cramped St Petersburg room. Proud, isolated, and feverishly preoccupied with an idea he has not fully admitted even to himself, he has stopped supporting himself through lessons and avoids his landlady because he owes rent.

Also known as The Pawnbroker

Appears from the start

An elderly pawnbroker from whom Raskolnikov has borrowed money against small valuables. Suspicious and exacting in business, she lives with her younger half-sister Lizaveta.

First appears in chapter 2

A disgraced former government clerk whom Raskolnikov meets in a tavern. Talkative and already drunk, he describes how his alcoholism has impoverished his family and openly recognizes the suffering he causes without being able to stop.

Also known as Sonia, Sofya Semyonovna

First appears in chapter 2

Marmeladov's quiet eldest daughter. Poverty has driven her into registered sex work so that she can bring money to her father's household, a sacrifice he recounts with shame.

First appears in chapter 2

Marmeladov's proud, ill, and desperate wife. Born into a more secure social position, she tries to preserve standards of cleanliness and respectability while caring for three children in severe poverty.

Also known as Dunya, Avdotya Romanovna

First appears in chapter 3

Raskolnikov's intelligent and resolute younger sister. After leaving a difficult position as a governess, she becomes engaged to Pyotr Luzhin in hopes of securing a stable future and helping her family.

First appears in chapter 3

Raskolnikov's devoted mother, who writes to him with family news and places great hope in his abilities. Her limited income and concern for both children make Dunya's coming marriage seem especially consequential.

First appears in chapter 3

Dunya's newly accepted fiancé, a self-made lawyer who presents marriage as practical mutual advancement. His preference for a poor bride who will feel indebted to him immediately alarms Raskolnikov.

First appears in chapter 3

A landowner in whose household Dunya worked as a governess. His pursuit of her caused scandal and forced her to leave, although evidence later cleared her of encouraging him.

Also known as Dmitri Prokofych

First appears in chapter 9

Raskolnikov's energetic former university friend. Sociable, generous, and willing to find work despite his own poverty, he begins caring for Raskolnikov during the latter's feverish illness.

First appears in chapter 13

A police clerk who takes an interest in Raskolnikov during the investigation of the pawnbroker's death. Casual and somewhat vain in manner, he frequents a tavern where Raskolnikov draws him into a dangerous conversation about the crime.

First appears in chapter 19

The examining magistrate responsible for investigating the pawnbroker's murder. Informal, humorous, and psychologically observant, he discusses Raskolnikov's published theory about exceptional people while quietly testing his reactions.