The Idiot — Part IV — Chapter III

General Ivolgin’s habitual tempers escalate into something more serious. At home he veers between remorse and rage, idolizing his wife Nina Alexandrovna yet quarreling with everyone, including Hippolyte. Colia worries but cannot define why. Meanwhile, the general and Lebedeff carouse together, alternating embraces and sudden quarrels.

One morning, General Ivolgin approaches Prince Myshkin in high agitation, hinting at congratulations and begging for a private, decisive interview the next day. His speech is incoherent but heartfelt; Myshkin soothes him and sets a time.

That evening, Myshkin confronts Lebedeff about the earlier “theft” of 400 roubles. Lebedeff now claims he found the purse under a chair, then mischievously left it there, later letting it slip into his coat lining, seemingly to observe the general’s reactions. He describes the general’s alternating tenderness and fury, and hints the purse was even briefly hidden in the garden.

Myshkin rebukes Lebedeff’s cruelty, interpreting the general’s actions as a wordless plea for forgiveness. He urges Lebedeff to end the game: remove the purse quietly, say nothing, and treat the general with kindness. Lebedeff agrees—though doubtfully—and departs with the purse to “find” it. Myshkin awaits the next morning’s interview, still puzzled.