What Is to Be Done? · Chapter
A Fool explained
The chapter opens on July 23, 1856, at a Petersburg hotel where a mysterious guest has checked in, locked his door, and cannot be roused.
What happens
The chapter opens on July 23, 1856, at a Petersburg hotel where a mysterious guest has checked in, locked his door, and cannot be roused. After breaking in, the room is found empty with a note stating he will leave at 11 PM and be heard of on the Liteinaïa bridge between 2 and 3 AM. A pistol shot was heard on the bridge during the night, but no body is found. The hotel staff and police debate whether it was a suicide or a prank, ultimately concluding the act—whether real or staged—was that of a fool.
Key passages
“On the morning of the 23rd of July, 1856, the servants of one of the largest hotels of Petersburg, near the Moscow railroad station, were in perplexity, and even partly in fear.”
Early on July 23, 1856, the staff at a major Petersburg hotel near the Moscow railway station were confused and somewhat frightened.
Sets the scene and tone of mystery for the chapter.
“I shall go away at eleven o'clock this evening, and I shall not return. You will hear of me on the Liteinaïa bridge between two and three o'clock tonight. Let no one be suspected.”
The note left by the stranger announces his departure at 11 PM and directs attention to the Liteinaïa bridge for news of him between 2 and 3 AM, exonerating others.
Key plot point establishing the apparent suicide or disappearance.
“Only a fool (durak), was said by someone. And this expression, 'Only a fool,' was accepted by all, even by those who discredited the fact of a suicide.”
Someone called the act that of a fool, and everyone—even those doubting the suicide—agreed with that label.
Highlights the chapter's central judgment and the title's significance.