Luzhin regrets having been so miserly with Dounia and her mother. Thinking about the memorial dinner held that day, to which he had been invited, he devises a plan.
Luzhin is staying with an acquaintence, Andrey Semyonovitch Lebeziatnikov, a young progressive who lives in the same building as Katerina Ivanovna. Living with Lebeziatnikov is Luzhin's way of trying to familiarize himself with liberal thought. That day, Luzhin counts a number of bills he has exchanged, as Lebeziatnikov looks on. They have come to despise each other of late. Luzhin casually mentions the after-funeral dinner, stating his intention not to go and noting how wasteful it is of Katernia Ivanovna to spend all that money on a meal.
Lebeziatnikov expresses his ideas about marriage, communal living, and women's equality, to which Luzhin responds mockingly. Luzhin asks about Sonia and Lebeziatnikov offers his opinion that she is a respectable girl. They continue their familiar debates. Luzhin asks if Lebeziatnikov is friendly enough with Sonia to bring her to see him. Lebeziatnikov brings Sonia over and Luzhin gives her ten roubles as a token of sympathy for Katerina Ivanovna and the children. When Sonia leaves, Lebeziatnikov praises Luzhin for his generosity, especially after having endured a breakup of his marriage.
