Demons characters

Appears from the start

An aging intellectual who has spent many years in Varvara Petrovna's household as her friend, dependent, and former tutor to her son. He thinks of himself as a persecuted liberal thinker, though his provincial circle offers him comfort and admiration.

Appears from the start

A wealthy, commanding widow and the mother of Nikolai Stavrogin. She has supported Stepan Trofimovich for years, alternating between protectiveness, control, admiration, and frustration.

Also known as Stavrogin

First appears in chapter 2

Varvara Petrovna's handsome and enigmatic son, formerly tutored by Stepan Trofimovich. His return to the province follows years of travel and an earlier visit marked by a series of inexplicable public insults.

First appears in chapter 3

A former serf from Varvara Petrovna's estate and once a student influenced by Stepan Trofimovich. Earnest, angry, and searching for a basis for national and religious belief, he has returned from involvement with radical circles abroad.

Also known as Dasha

First appears in chapter 3

Varvara Petrovna's young companion and Shatov's sister. Quiet, practical, and trusted within the Stavrogin household, she has been the subject of local speculation about Nikolai's past.

Also known as Liza

First appears in chapter 3

The spirited daughter of Praskovya Drozdova and a young woman with a complicated history of attraction to Stavrogin. Her family returns to the province while questions about marriages and past attachments dominate local society.

Also known as Marya Timofeyevna

First appears in chapter 4

Captain Lebyadkin's physically disabled and psychologically vulnerable sister. She lives in neglected conditions and speaks in a visionary, disjointed way about a secret change in her social position.

First appears in chapter 4

Marya's coarse, frequently drunken brother, a former army captain who mistreats her and seeks money through threats and hints about secrets known to him.

First appears in chapter 5

Stepan Trofimovich's estranged son, returning from political activity in the capital and abroad. Energetic, familiar, and skilled at learning other people's vulnerabilities, he quickly inserts himself into the households and disputes of the town.

First appears in chapter 6

A civil engineer acquainted with Shatov and the radical group. He calmly advances a theory that complete freedom requires conquering fear of death, treating his own future suicide as a philosophical demonstration.

First appears in chapter 6

The provincial governor, a conscientious but insecure administrator who wants to appear modern and competent. Political unease, social rivalry, and his wife's independent initiatives place increasing pressure on him.

First appears in chapter 6

The governor's ambitious wife and a leader of provincial society. She hopes to combine fashionable cultural patronage with benevolent public activity and takes charge of preparations for a large literary fête.

First appears in chapter 7

An escaped convict who has returned secretly to the district. Violent and opportunistic, he offers criminal services to people whose political schemes or private problems may give him cover.

First appears in chapter 13

A minor official and host of a gathering of local radicals. He accepts Pyotr's claim that their small circle forms part of a much larger revolutionary organization.