Gogol's story "The Diary of a Madman" ("Zapriski sumassehdshago"), published in 1835, also makes use of the motif of a garment as a status symbol. The story is written in the form of a diary that records the mental deterioration of its writer. At one point the writer, another poor government clerk, believes himself to be the King of Spain, Ferdinand VIII. When he decides to reveal his identity in public, he reasons, "If only I could get hold of a royal mantle of some sort. I thought of having one made but tailors are so stupid.... I decided to make a mantle out of my best coat which I had worn only twice.... I had to cut my coat to ribbons with the scissors since a mantle has a completely different style."

"The Nose" ("Nos") is another of Gogol's short...