Chapter 11 There Was No Money. There Was No Robbery

Fetyukovitch opens by flatly denying the existence of the fatal 3,000 roubles, noting that only Smerdyakov ever claimed to see the notes and that even he last saw them days earlier. He argues Fyodor Pavlovich could have removed the money himself, explaining the torn envelope on the floor, and points out the untouched bed contradicts Dmitri’s supposed search under the mattress.

He contends that, without concrete proof of the notes, the robbery charge collapses. Contrasting with a clear Petersburg robbery case, he stresses the absence of identifiable money and the life-or-death stakes. He rejects the idea that half the sum was hidden elsewhere, since Dmitri’s movements were tracked, and mocks the theory of money concealed at Mokroe.

Addressing the 1,500 roubles Dmitri spent, Fetyukovitch asserts Dmitri honestly saved that amount from the money entrusted by Katerina Ivanovna, consistent with a volatile yet two-sided Karamazov nature. He challenges Katerina Ivanovna’s credibility due to her contradictory statements and possible vindictiveness, arguing the loan was given in a manner Dmitri could accept, expecting repayment from his father.

Fetyukovitch outlines Dmitri’s motives: love for Grushenka required funds, while fear of appearing a thief before Katerina compelled him to guard the 1,500. As jealousy and frustration peaked, Dmitri rashly assaulted his father, lost hope of receiving money, and still clung to the 1,500 to preserve his honor.

He reinterprets the “parricide letter” as drunken bluster and hearsay about the envelope, not a blueprint for crime. Finally, he insists Dmitri ran in jealous fury to find Grushenka, not to steal, and that without proven money there is no robbery—and, by extension, even the murder is unproved, reducing the prosecution’s case to romance.