Part One
Chapter VII

Lizaveta Prokofyevna claims her character feels very close to the Prince's: "Only you're a man and I'm a woman, and I've never been to Switzerland, that's all the difference."

Prince likens Aglaya's face to Nastasya Filippovna, and it confuses everyone. "Where did you see her?" They all ask. When the Prince leaves, Adelaida and Alexandra agree that "he's nice, but much too simple...so that he's even slightly ridiculous."

How can they say that? In their first conversation he talks of mock executions and paying alms to consumptive girls in Switzerland. He is anything but simple. I am sure they will eat their words in time.

Gavrila was embarrassed when Prince mentions Nastasya's portrait and calls him an idiot. But Ganya asks Prince a favor. He wants him to deliver a note to Aglaya and keep it a secret.

"There's so much suffering...in that face..." Prince says of Nastasya's portrait.

Sidenote: In Joseph Frank's biography, he claims Nastasya Fillipovna to be the strongest heroine in all of Dostoevsky's work. We shall see.

"Such beauty has power," Adelaida said hotly. "You can overturn the world with such beauty."

"A fool with a heart and no brains is as unhappy a fool with a heat but no brains, and you are a fool with brains but no heart; and we're both unhappy, and we both suffer." - Mrs. Epanchin to her daughter Alexandra

She inquires of Gavrila, are you getting married? Gavrila stutters and says no. Obviously lying. He gets mad at Prince, saying he blabbed, which is not true. Gavrila says in passing to Aglaya, "one word from you, and I'm saved." I guess he doesn't want her mother to know that he wants to marry her yet. But who'd want to marry Ganya? Aglaya hands the note to the Prince to read. His note says: break it all off. She says his soul is dirty, that's clear. What is going on here? Who does Aglaya plan to marry?

Ganya is pissed that Prince read it. Prince says "I'm very sorry that it makes such an unpleasant impression on you." but this doesn't soothe Ganya's countenance. He can't understand how Aglaya told Prince all the secrets, knowing him for two hours. No one can be mad at Prince for very long, though, with the way he deflects anger. He is very sweet toward his aggressor, and Ganya begs forgiveness.