Part 1, Chapters 9-12 Summary

When Pierre finally leaves the Bolkonsky's, it is past one o'clock. He wants to see what Anatole is doing but then remembers his promise to Andrei. He vacillates and finally decides to go to the Kuragins anyway. When he arrives, a large group of young men are drinking and gambling, and a young bear on a leash is pacing in the room. Dolohov is introduced. He is a well-known military man, who doesn't have much money but is quite charismatic. He uses Anatole for money and social connections. Dolohov devises a drinking game, betting that one of the men can't drink a whole bottle while sitting in a second story window frame without falling out. Pierre and all the other young men know this is folly, but they go along with it anyway because Dolohov is so persuasive. The...