Kostia

Kostia is a young man who remains optimistic about life, even though he lives in poverty in Moscow. His neighbor Romachkin gives him a gun, and Kostia carries it around with him for days. Finally, one February night, he uses the revolver to assassinate Comrade Tulayev in a random moment when he sees the man on the street. Kostia has a childish personality. He is tall and has a high forehead, unruly hair, and sea-green eyes.

Kostia provides the bookends for the novel and also the impetus for the entire plot. He is only seen in the first and the last chapters. In the last chapter, Kostia has lived many other adventures and has returned to Moscow with his wife, Maria. He reads in the paper that three men were executed for the murder of Comrade Tulayev. Kostia is tortured by guilt and sends an unsigned confession to...