He is an ex-convict and, according to rumors, kept the murder of his wife Marfa Petrovna, whom he allegedly poisoned, in the shadows. He is a hedonist and a nihilist without limits; he has crossed all boundaries between good and evil (at times harming a little girl, while at other times gifting all his money to Sonya's orphaned siblings). He harbors a morbid love for Dunya and tries to win her through blackmail after secretly eavesdropping on Raskolnikov's secret. However, when he realizes with certainty that Dunya will not love him at any cost, he commits suicide at the final stage of his internal nihilism and darkness, at the end of ghosts, delusions, and a cold St. Petersburg night.
