Crime and Punishment · Chapter
V explained
Raskolnikov wanders the city in a feverish state, debating a visit to his friend Razumihin but deciding to postpone it until 'after It.' His agitated walk takes him across the Neva to the islands, where he falls into an exhausted sleep and
What happens
Raskolnikov wanders the city in a feverish state, debating a visit to his friend Razumihin but deciding to postpone it until 'after It.' His agitated walk takes him across the Neva to the islands, where he falls into an exhausted sleep and has a vivid, terrifying childhood dream of a tavern, a cart, and a mistreated horse. Upon waking and returning to the city, he accidentally overhears a crucial conversation: Lizaveta Ivanovna will be away from her sister's apartment at seven o'clock the next day, leaving the pawnbroker alone. This news strikes him as a fatal sign, cementing his resolve.
Themes in this chapter
Psychological Torment
Raskolnikov's entire chapter is a portrait of acute mental distress: feverish wandering, obsessive thoughts about 'It,' a horrific and vivid dream, and the overwhelming sense of fate upon hearing Lizaveta's plans.
Alienation and Isolation
His aimless walk, his inability to connect with the pleasant scenes around him, and his retreat into a solitary, exhausted sleep in the bushes underscore his profound disconnection from the world and other people.
Characters to notice
- Raskolnikov
In a state of intense psychological agitation and feverish wandering. He debates visiting Razumihin, has a horrific childhood dream, and overhears the fateful conversation about Lizaveta's absence, which he interprets as a definitive sign to proceed with his plan.
- Lizaveta Ivanovna
Appears in the Hay Market, speaking with a huckster and his wife. She is hesitant but agrees to visit them the next day at seven o'clock, a conversation Raskolnikov overhears, revealing she will be away from her sister's apartment.
- Alena Ivanovna
Mentioned indirectly as the pawnbroker sister whom Lizaveta fears. The overheard conversation reveals she will be left alone at a specific time the next day, a key piece of information for Raskolnikov's plan.
Key passages
““I shall go to Razumihin’s of course, but… not now. I shall go to him… on the next day after It, when It will be over and everything will begin afresh…””
Raskolnikov postpones seeking help from his friend until after he commits the murder, imagining a clean break and a new beginning.
Highlights his delusional planning and the psychological compartmentalization of the crime as a singular event ('It') that will reset his life.
“He had learnt, he had suddenly quite unexpectedly learnt, that the next day at seven o’clock Lizaveta… would be away from home and that therefore at seven o’clock precisely the old woman would be left alone.”
By chance, Raskolnikov overhears that Lizaveta has an appointment, guaranteeing the pawnbroker will be alone at a specific time the next day.
This accidental intelligence is perceived by Raskolnikov as a supernatural sign or fatal coincidence, pushing him from contemplation to action.
“In a morbid condition of the brain, dreams often have a singular actuality, vividness, and extraordinary semblance of reality.”
When the mind is sick, dreams can feel hyper-real and leave a powerful, lasting impression on a disturbed nervous system.
The narrator directly comments on Raskolnikov's mental state, framing the subsequent dream not as mere fantasy but as a symptom of his psychological unraveling.