# The Death of Count Bezukhov explained — War and Peace

> Chapter companion for War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.

## What happens

Count Bezukhov suffers his final stroke. As he lies dying, the house fills with officials, clergy, and family awaiting the end. Prince Vasili, desperate to secure the inheritance, pressures the eldest princess to reveal the location of a will that leaves everything to Pierre, the illegitimate son.

## Themes in this chapter

### Family and Legacy

The central drama revolves around the Bezukhov legacy, pitting direct heirs against an illegitimate son, exposing familial greed and conflict.

### Corruption and Morality

Prince Vasili's manipulation and the princess's bitterness highlight the moral decay beneath the surface of propriety during a time of mourning.

## Character check-ins

### Count Pyotr Kirílych Bezúkhov

The illegitimate son and rumored heir, absent but central to the inheritance intrigue.

### Prince Vasíli Sergéevich Kurágin

Agitated and scheming, pressures the princess to find and destroy the will leaving the estate to Pierre.

### Anna Pávlovna

Mentioned indirectly as a target of the princess's venom for her alleged role in influencing the count.

### Prince Borís Drubetskóy

His mother, Anna Mikháylovna Drubetskáya, is accused by the princess of intrigue and turning the count against the family.

## Key lines

> "I knew that I could expect nothing but meanness, deceit, envy, intrigue, and ingratitude—the blackest ingratitude—in this house…"

The eldest princess expresses her deep disillusionment and bitterness towards her family, believing them capable only of base actions.

_Reveals the toxic atmosphere and long-standing resentments within the household._

> "It’s in the inlaid portfolio that he keeps under his pillow,"

The princess reveals the hiding place of the contested will after being pressured by Prince Vasili.

_The climax of their tense negotiation, providing the key to the inheritance plot._

> "Tonight, not later," said he in a low voice, and he moved away with a decorous smile of self-satisfaction…

Dr. Lorrain authoritatively predicts the count's imminent death, taking professional pride in his prognosis.

_Highlights the clinical, almost detached medical perspective amidst the emotional and financial suspense._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/war_and_peace/chapters/xxi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/war_and_peace
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/war_and_peace/chapters