Raskolnikov asks for details about the sinister rumors surrounding Svidrigaylov. Avoiding this subject, Svidrigaylov instead shares the details of his married life. His wife had permitted him affairs with other women, provided that they were never serious, permanent, or with women of his own class. Svidrigaylov tells Raskolnikov that the secret to seduction is flattery. He flattered Dunya by letting her think she had the power to change and improve him.
Raskolnikov suspects that Svidrigaylov came to St Petersburg in order to pursue Dunya, but the older man strongly denies it. He is even engaged to marry a sixteenyear-old girl, of whom he speaks highly. Her combination of childishness and maturity fascinates him. Raskolnikov is repulsed at.....
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