Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin is the last surviving member of an old and noble Russian line. Because of the severe epileptic seizures he suffered since childhood, he was labeled an 'idiot' and spent four years in a mountain clinic in Switzerland. He recovers and returns to Russia at twenty-six without any financial security. Upon entering society, he becomes a figure the elite are unaccustomed to due to his sincerity, compassion, inability to lie, and absolute virtue. He possesses a depth of empathy and power of observation capable of seeing people's secret weaknesses and pains. While he does not hesitate to dedicate his life and reputation to easing Nastasya Filippovna's sufferings, he also falls in love with the childish and tempestuous Aglaya. He functions almost as a worldly Christ against the corruption brought by the Russian intelligentsia, liberalism, and capitalism. However, the network of dark passions, selfishness, and destructive relationships around him slowly consumes him, dragging him back into that initial, sickly void.
He lost his parents at a young age and was adopted by his relative, Pavlishchev. Because of his severe epilepsy, he reached the point of losing his mind and spent many years in a mountain village with children, nature, and under the supervision of Dr. Schneider. This period of innocence in Switzerland shaped his worldview; organizing all the children to help an ostracized girl named Marie showed him the power of mercy.
A young man of twenty-six or twenty-seven, slightly taller than average, with thick, light-blonde hair, sunken cheeks, and a sparse, pointed beard. His complexion is deathly pale, but there is a strange, sad, and steady glow in his large blue eyes. At first, he wears a strange, out-of-season foreign cloak and peculiar boots.
Rogojin
Hij weet dat hij duister en gevaarlijk is; hij voelt angst, droefheid en een vreemde broederschap jegens hem.
Aglaya İvanovna
In het licht van Aglaja vindt hij hoop en levenskracht, hij is verliefd op haar, maar vreest dat zij zich niet kan aanpassen aan zijn zonderlinge aard.
Nastasya Filippovna
Hij beschouwt haar als het meest onschuldige en gekwetste wezen op aarde, en wil haar louter uit diep respect en medelijden redden.