Strangely enough, whenever I re-read this book, I find the image of the heroin Sonya being more overshadowed by Marmeladov and his wife Katerina Ivanovna. They are minor characters and their story is told apart from the main story. But despite that, they are presented with such wonderful power, solidity and distinctness that, even though you may not quite believe in them, you can never forget them. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that Raskolnikov has had as much influence from them as from Sonya. There is one more point I would like to point out. Why does Svidrigailov commit suicide? I think that his suicide requires a good deal more explanation than Dostoyevsky has given it. All things considered, he is the least likely man to commit suicide, isn't he? For what reason did Dostoyevsky sacrifice verisimilitude and credibility which are the essential requirements of good novels? Of course there must be a reason, and I think the reason is another key to get more understanding about Dostoyevsky.