The Brothers Karamazov Book 8, Chapter 5 Summary

A Sudden Decision

  • Dmitri dashes into see Fenya to get the scoop on Grushenka. He frightens Fenya and her grandmother because of his bloodied appearance. She confirms that Grushenka is off to Mokroye.
  • Dmitri then heads back to his friend Pyotr Ilyich Perkhotin, the young official he'd pawned his pistols to. He pays back the loan and gets his pistols back.
  • Perkhotin is startled by how much money Dmitri seems to be flashing around all of a sudden. They send Perkhotin's servant out to the local store for some change, but Dmitri asks Perkhotin's servant to order lots of treats, as Dmitri is planning on wooing Grushenka again in Mokroye.
  • Perkhotin helps Dmitri wash off the blood, all the while trying to get the story out of him, but Dmitri incoherently mumbles about gold mines and Madame Khokhlakov and punishment and theft. Still confused, Perkhotin accompanies Dmitri to Plotnikov's store, where Dmitri loads up a cart with goodies and sets off for Mokroye.
  • Perkhotin is highly suspicious of Dmitri. He goes to the tavern to take his mind off things, but when he tells everyone about Dmitri's sudden wealth, they wonder if Dmitri's finally gotten around to killing his father.
  • This concerns Perkhotin, so he decides to investigate and heads to Grushenka's house to get the story from her servant Fenya.