How thin the line between craziness and sanity. How oppressive the world around us, especially for those with a delicate form of intelligence surrounded by boorish, brash, foolish people who don't appreciate education, manners, and punctiliousness. When self-promotion and self-preservation kick in, all bets are off. This longish short story by Chekhov explores the meatgrinder that faces delicate, educated men marooned in a dusty, provincial town. Oppressed by the sea of filth and ignorance, they drown in a system that inadvertently envelops these sensitive souls, without specific malice or intent. It just gradually happens through no specific fault of their own.

Despite moments of mirth in the description of the town and the ambience, the story is fundamentally depressing and shows how brutal our brutish existence can become.