Crime and Punishment Chapter 3 Summary

Summary

The chapter opens in the crowded, chaotic room of Katerina Ivanovna where Pyotr Petrovitch Luzhin interrupts a funeral-related gathering to accuse Sofya (Sonia) of stealing a hundred-rouble note from his table. He details his account of the money, accuses her before the assembled lodgers, and threatens police action. Sonia is stunned, pale and terrified; Katerina Ivanovna rushes to protect her, violently defending Sonia and turning pockets inside out. A folded hundred-rouble note then falls from Sonia’s pocket and Luzhin triumphantly displays it, provoking cries to expel her and summon the police.

Before the crowd can act, Andrey Semyonovich Lebezyatnikov suddenly declares that he actually saw Luzhin slip the note into Sonia’s pocket. His vehement testimony changes the room’s mood. Raskolnikov stands and gives a composed explanation of motive: Luzhin had been engaged to Raskolnikov’s sister and had recently been expelled after quarrelling; proving Sonia a thief would vindicate Luzhin’s insinuations and help him regain favor with Raskolnikov’s family. The lodgers turn on Luzhin, who storms out amid threats and thrown objects. The scene ends with Sonia distraught and running home, Katerina Ivanovna turned out by the landlady in the melee, and Raskolnikov leaving for Sonia’s lodging determined to continue involvement.

Key events

1. Luzhin accuses Sofya of stealing a hundred-rouble note in front of the lodgers.
2. Katerina Ivanovna defends Sonia and turns out her pockets; a folded hundred-rouble falls out.
3. Lebeziatnikov shocks the room by claiming he saw Luzhin slip the note into Sonia’s pocket.
4. Raskolnikov explains Luzhin’s motive tied to his engagement to Avdotya and Luzhin’s attempt to win favor.
5. Lodgers attack Luzhin verbally and physically; Luzhin leaves in disgrace.
6. Sonia flees in hysterical grief; Katerina Ivanovna is ejected by the landlady amid chaos.
7. Raskolnikov decides to go to Sonia’s rooms.

Analysis

This chapter stages a dramatic public defamation and reversal that reveals social tensions, power, and the precarious position of the impoverished. The accusation scene spotlights themes of humiliation, pride, and social hypocrisy: Luzhin uses a formal, legalistic tone to weaponize social standing against a vulnerable woman; his performance of ‘justice’ contrasts with the raw human compassion of Katerina Ivanovna and the impulsive moral outrage of the lodgers. Lebeziatnikov’s intervention and Raskolnikov’s calm deconstruction of motive function structurally to shift the chapter from melodrama to exposition—Luzhin’s attempt to manipulate reputation is exposed as strategic rather than juridical. The episode deepens Raskolnikov’s role as protector and analyst: he is both morally engaged and diagnostically perceptive, reading motives and social networks as clues. Sonia’s collapse after being publicly shamed emphasizes her social vulnerability and the novel’s recurring focus on dignity under duress. The folded banknote acts as a small but powerful symbol: a physical object that catalyses shame, reveals deceit, and becomes a pivot for community judgment. Narratively the chapter accelerates conflict (Luzhin vs. Raskolnikov and his circle) and tightens interpersonal ties—especially the emerging protective relation between Raskolnikov and Sonia—while exposing the performative and self-interested aspects of charity and respectability.

Important quotes

““I have taken nothing,” Sonia whispered in terror, “you gave me ten roubles, here it is, take it.””

Sofya Semyonovna MarmeladovaSonia’s first terrified denial and attempt to return Luzhin’s ten-rouble gift under public accusation.

““I saw it, I saw it,” Lebeziatnikov repeated, “and though it is against my principles, I am ready this very minute to take any oath you like before the court, for I saw how you slipped it in her pocket.””

Andrey Semyonovich LebezyatnikovLebeziatnikov’s decisive claim that he witnessed Luzhin plant the hundred-rouble note, which turns the crowd against Luzhin.

““I can explain it all to myself,” said Raskolnikov, addressing Lebeziatnikov.”

Rodion Romanovich RaskolnikovRaskolnikov steps forward to offer a calm reconstruction of Luzhin’s motive, reframing the incident as intrigue rather than theft.

Characters in Chapter 3

• Pyotr Petrovich Luzhin
• Sofya Semyonovna Marmeladova
• Katerina Ivanovna Marmeladova
• Andrey Semyonovich Lebezyatnikov
• Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov
• Avdotya Romanovna Raskolnikova
• Pulcheria Alexandrovna Raskolnikova
• Amalia Ivanovna
• Polenka
• commissariat clerk
• the three Poles
• Semyon Zakharovich Marmeladov