Summary
Chichikov arrives at Plushkin's estate, a once-grand property now rotting from neglect. The village is falling apart, with roofs riddled with holes and residents who've given up maintaining their homes. When Chichikov meets the master of the house, he's shocked to discover that this beggar-like figure in rags is actually one of the wealthiest landowners in the region, owning over a thousand serfs and vast stores of goods. Plushkin's extreme miserliness has turned him into a hoarder living in squalor, surrounded by dusty furniture and decay despite his wealth. The old man complains constantly about his lazy servants and dead serfs, which presents Chichikov with an unexpected opportunity. When Chichikov offers to buy the 'dead souls' and pay their taxes, Plushkin is initially suspicious but quickly becomes eager for any income. They strike a deal for 120 dead souls and 78 runaway serfs at bargain prices. The chapter reveals how Plushkin's penny-pinching has isolated him from family and friends, creating a living death despite his material abundance. His paranoia about theft and obsession with saving money has made him more wretched than the poorest peasant. Gogol uses Plushkin to show how greed can consume a person's humanity, turning wealth into a curse rather than a blessing.
Coming Up in Chapter 7
Back in town, Chichikov celebrates his unexpected windfall of nearly 400 souls acquired at bargain prices. But his success may have attracted unwanted attention, and a mysterious military lieutenant has arrived at his hotel.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
Chichikov’s amusement at the peasant’s outburst prevented him from noticing that he had reached the centre of a large and populous village; but, presently, a violent jolt aroused him to the fact that he was driving over wooden pavements of a kind compared with which the cobblestones of the town had been as nothing. Like the keys of a piano, the planks kept rising and falling, and unguarded passage over them entailed either a bump on the back of the neck or a bruise on the forehead or a bite on the tip of one’s tongue. At the same time Chichikov noticed a look of decay about the buildings of the village. The beams of the huts had grown dark with age, many of their roofs were riddled with holes, others had but a tile of the roof remaining, and yet others were reduced to the rib-like framework of the same. It would seem as though the inhabitants themselves had removed the laths and traverses, on the very natural plea that the huts were no protection against the rain, and therefore, since the latter entered in bucketfuls, there was no particular object to be gained by sitting in such huts when all the time there was the tavern and the highroad and other places to resort to. Suddenly a woman appeared from an outbuilding--apparently the housekeeper of the mansion, but so roughly and dirtily dressed as almost to seem indistinguishable from a man. Chichikov inquired for the master of the place. “He is not at home,” she replied, almost before her interlocutor had had time to finish. Then she added: “What do you want with him?” “I have some business to do,” said Chichikov. “Then pray walk into the house,” the woman advised. Then she turned upon him a back that was smeared with flour and had a long slit in the lower portion of its covering. Entering a large, dark hall which reeked like a tomb, he passed into an equally dark parlour that was lighted only by such rays as contrived to filter through a crack under the door. When Chichikov opened the door in question, the spectacle of the untidiness within struck him almost with amazement. It would seem that the floor was never washed, and that the room was used as a receptacle for every conceivable kind of furniture. On a table stood a ragged chair, with, beside it, a clock minus a pendulum and covered all over with cobwebs. Against a wall leant a cupboard, full of old silver, glassware, and china. On a writing table, inlaid with mother-of-pearl which, in places, had broken away and left behind it a number of yellow grooves (stuffed with putty), lay a pile of finely written manuscript, an overturned marble press (turning green), an ancient book in a leather cover with red edges, a lemon dried and shrunken to the dimensions of a hazelnut, the broken arm of a chair, a tumbler containing the dregs of some liquid...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Hollow Wealth - When Having Everything Means Nothing
When fear of losing what you have prevents you from enjoying or benefiting from it, creating misery despite abundance.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to identify when someone's fear of spending has become more destructive than helpful.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when you or others avoid spending money that should be spent—on car maintenance, work clothes, or basic comfort—and ask what fear is really driving that choice.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Serfdom
A feudal system where peasants were bound to the land and owned by wealthy landowners. Serfs couldn't leave without permission and were bought and sold with the property. This was the backbone of Russian society until 1861.
Modern Usage:
Similar to how some workers today feel trapped in jobs due to debt, housing costs, or lack of opportunities to move elsewhere.
Dead Souls
Deceased serfs who were still counted on tax rolls until the next census. Landowners had to pay taxes on them as if they were alive. Chichikov's scheme involves buying these 'dead souls' cheaply to appear wealthy on paper.
Modern Usage:
Like phantom employees on company payrolls, or how credit scores can be affected by accounts that should have been closed years ago.
Miser
Someone who hoards wealth obsessively and refuses to spend money even on necessities. They often live in poverty despite having resources, prioritizing accumulation over quality of life or relationships.
Modern Usage:
The person who has money but won't fix their broken car, buy decent food, or help family members because they're obsessed with their savings account balance.
Social Decay
When communities and institutions break down due to neglect, corruption, or mismanagement. Buildings crumble, people lose hope, and social bonds weaken as everyone looks out only for themselves.
Modern Usage:
Seen in towns where main industries have left, infrastructure crumbles, and people move away or give up on maintaining their communities.
Feudal Estate
Large properties owned by nobility where hundreds of peasants lived and worked. The landowner controlled everything - housing, jobs, justice, and taxes. It was like a small kingdom with absolute power.
Modern Usage:
Similar to company towns where one employer controls housing, stores, and services, making workers dependent on the boss for everything.
Census Registry
Government records that tracked population for taxation purposes. In Russia, these were updated infrequently, creating gaps where dead people remained 'alive' on paper for years.
Modern Usage:
Like voter registration rolls that still list people who moved or died, or how bureaucratic systems often lag behind reality.
Characters in This Chapter
Plushkin
The ultimate miser landowner
A wealthy landowner who lives like a beggar due to extreme miserliness. He owns over 1,000 serfs but lets everything rot from neglect while obsessively hoarding worthless items. His greed has destroyed his relationships with his children and isolated him completely.
Modern Equivalent:
The rich person living in a falling-down house, wearing rags, alienated from family because they won't spend a dime on anyone or anything
Chichikov
The opportunistic protagonist
Sees Plushkin's miserly nature as a business opportunity and successfully negotiates to buy dead souls at bargain prices. He adapts his sales approach to appeal to Plushkin's obsession with getting any kind of income.
Modern Equivalent:
The smooth-talking salesperson who reads people perfectly and adjusts their pitch to whatever the customer wants to hear
Key Quotes & Analysis
"It would seem as though the inhabitants themselves had removed the laths and traverses, on the very natural plea that the huts were no protection against the rain"
Context: Describing the decay of Plushkin's village where people have given up maintaining their homes
This shows how neglect from leadership trickles down to create a culture of giving up. When the boss doesn't care, why should the workers? The logical response to a hopeless situation is to stop trying.
In Today's Words:
When management doesn't maintain the workplace, employees stop caring too - 'Why should I fix this if they won't?'
"And you say that some of my peasants have died? Oh, the worthless fellows! And whereabouts are they lying? In the cemetery, I suppose?"
Context: When Chichikov mentions dead serfs, Plushkin's only concern is whether they're still costing him money
Reveals Plushkin's complete dehumanization of the people who work for him. He sees them only as financial assets, not as human beings with families and lives.
In Today's Words:
'My employees died? What a waste of my investment! I hope they're not still on the payroll!'
"Never in his life had Chichikov seen such a curious mixture of parsimony and filth"
Context: Chichikov's first impression of Plushkin's living conditions despite his wealth
Shows how extreme penny-pinching can become self-destructive. Plushkin has money but won't spend it on basic cleanliness or comfort, making his wealth meaningless.
In Today's Words:
'I've never seen someone so rich live in such disgusting conditions because they're too cheap to spend money on themselves'
Thematic Threads
Wealth
In This Chapter
Plushkin's vast riches become meaningless because his miserliness prevents him from using or enjoying them
Development
Contrasts with earlier landowners who at least lived comfortably—Plushkin shows wealth's ultimate corruption
In Your Life:
You might recognize this in yourself when you have money saved but feel guilty spending it on anything beyond necessities.
Isolation
In This Chapter
Plushkin's penny-pinching has driven away his children and friends, leaving him completely alone
Development
Builds on the theme of social disconnection seen in previous landowners
In Your Life:
You see this when someone's extreme frugality or controlling behavior pushes away the people they care about.
Decay
In This Chapter
Despite his wealth, Plushkin's estate is crumbling because he won't spend money on maintenance
Development
Physical decay mirrors the moral decay of previous characters
In Your Life:
This appears when you defer maintenance on your car, home, or health to save money, only to face bigger costs later.
Deception
In This Chapter
Plushkin appears to be a beggar but is actually one of the wealthiest landowners in the region
Development
Continues the theme of appearances versus reality throughout the novel
In Your Life:
You encounter this when someone's lifestyle doesn't match their actual financial situation—either direction.
Paranoia
In This Chapter
Plushkin suspects everyone of theft and can't trust his own servants or family
Development
Introduced here as the extreme endpoint of self-protective behavior
In Your Life:
You might see this in yourself when financial anxiety makes you suspicious of everyone's motives around money.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
How does Plushkin's appearance and living conditions contrast with his actual wealth, and what does this reveal about his priorities?
analysis • surface - 2
What specific behaviors and thought patterns keep Plushkin trapped in his miserable lifestyle despite having the resources to live well?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see Plushkin's scarcity mindset showing up in modern life - people who have resources but won't use them?
application • medium - 4
If you had to help someone break out of Plushkin's pattern of hoarding and fear-based thinking, what practical steps would you recommend?
application • deep - 5
What does Plushkin's isolation from family and friends teach us about the true cost of extreme penny-pinching and mistrust?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Audit Your Own Scarcity Patterns
Make three lists: things you're hoarding 'for later' (money, clothes, opportunities), things you won't spend on because they feel 'wasteful,' and relationships you've neglected while focusing on security. Look for patterns where fear of loss is actually preventing you from living well.
Consider:
- •Notice the difference between smart saving and fear-based hoarding
- •Consider what you're sacrificing today for a 'someday' that might never come
- •Think about whether your money fears match your actual financial reality
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when being too careful with money or resources actually cost you something more valuable - an experience, relationship, or opportunity. What would you do differently now?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 7: The Bureaucratic Dance
The coming pages reveal bureaucratic systems can be navigated through personal connections and strategic charm, and teach us the psychology of self-deception - how we rationalize our questionable choices. These discoveries help us navigate similar situations in our own lives.