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"The Death of Ivan Ilych" opens with Ivan Ilych's colleagues discussing cases in Shebek's private room. Amidst their friendly disagreements on a specific point of jurisdiction, Peter Ivanovich reads of Ivan Ilych's death in the papers and conveys this information to his colleagues. Half of them are startled that someone so close to them in age and position should die, and half have pleasant expectations of the benefits which the opening of Ivan Ilych's job will create. Peter Ivanovich's colleagues also immediately think of the promotions that they are bound to receive upon Ivan Ilych's absence, and each looks unenthusiastically on the duty of offering their condolences to the widow, Praskovya Fedorovna. They are left with a feeling of ease in knowing it is Ivan Ilych who has died; they are still alive and at work.

Peter Ivanovich tells his wife that he will now be able...