Summary
The Rostov family's money troubles have only gotten worse during their two years in the countryside, forcing Count Rostov to seek a government job in Petersburg. In the capital, they discover their provincial status—the same people they once entertained in Moscow now look down on them. Their social circle becomes a mixed bag of country neighbors, minor officials, and social climbers. Among their frequent visitors is Berg, a methodical German officer who has built his career on self-promotion and strategic positioning. Four years ago, he coldly decided Vera Rostov would be his wife, and now he formally proposes. The family accepts with surprising lukewarm enthusiasm, partly because Vera is 24 and still unmarried, partly because their financial desperation makes any decent match welcome. Berg explains his decision with calculated precision—he's arranged support for his parents, has a steady income, and believes marriage should be a practical partnership where both parties contribute resources. His cold-blooded approach to love reveals a man who sees relationships as business transactions. When Berg presses Count Rostov about Vera's dowry, the count's embarrassment becomes clear—he has no idea what he can actually afford to give. The family's estates are sold or mortgaged, their debts mounting. Under pressure, the count promises more than he can deliver, agreeing to twenty thousand rubles cash plus an eighty-thousand-ruble promissory note. The chapter exposes how financial crisis forces families to accept marriages they wouldn't otherwise consider, while showing how social climbers like Berg exploit others' desperation to advance their own interests.
Coming Up in Chapter 118
As the Rostovs navigate their precarious social and financial position in Petersburg, other family members will face their own romantic entanglements and social pressures in the capital's complex society.
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An excerpt from the original text.(~500 words)
The Rostóvs’ monetary affairs had not improved during the two years they had spent in the country. Though Nicholas Rostóv had kept firmly to his resolution and was still serving modestly in an obscure regiment, spending comparatively little, the way of life at Otrádnoe—Mítenka’s management of affairs, in particular—was such that the debts inevitably increased every year. The only resource obviously presenting itself to the old count was to apply for an official post, so he had come to Petersburg to look for one and also, as he said, to let the lassies enjoy themselves for the last time. Soon after their arrival in Petersburg Berg proposed to Véra and was accepted. Though in Moscow the Rostóvs belonged to the best society without themselves giving it a thought, yet in Petersburg their circle of acquaintances was a mixed and indefinite one. In Petersburg they were provincials, and the very people they had entertained in Moscow without inquiring to what set they belonged, here looked down on them. The Rostóvs lived in the same hospitable way in Petersburg as in Moscow, and the most diverse people met at their suppers. Country neighbors from Otrádnoe, impoverished old squires and their daughters, Perónskaya a maid of honor, Pierre Bezúkhov, and the son of their district postmaster who had obtained a post in Petersburg. Among the men who very soon became frequent visitors at the Rostóvs’ house in Petersburg were Borís, Pierre whom the count had met in the street and dragged home with him, and Berg who spent whole days at the Rostóvs’ and paid the eldest daughter, Countess Véra, the attentions a young man pays when he intends to propose. Not in vain had Berg shown everybody his right hand wounded at Austerlitz and held a perfectly unnecessary sword in his left. He narrated that episode so persistently and with so important an air that everyone believed in the merit and usefulness of his deed, and he had obtained two decorations for Austerlitz. In the Finnish war he also managed to distinguish himself. He had picked up the scrap of a grenade that had killed an aide-de-camp standing near the commander in chief and had taken it to his commander. Just as he had done after Austerlitz, he related this occurrence at such length and so insistently that everyone again believed it had been necessary to do this, and he received two decorations for the Finnish war also. In 1809 he was a captain in the Guards, wore medals, and held some special lucrative posts in Petersburg. Though some skeptics smiled when told of Berg’s merits, it could not be denied that he was a painstaking and brave officer, on excellent terms with his superiors, and a moral young man with a brilliant career before him and an assured position in society. Four years before, meeting a German comrade in the stalls of a Moscow theater, Berg had pointed out Véra Rostóva to him and had said in German, “das soll mein...
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Desperation Marriages
When vulnerability meets opportunity, the desperate party always pays more than the relationship is worth.
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to recognize when someone is taking advantage of your desperate situation rather than genuinely helping.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when people approach you with 'solutions' during your worst moments—ask yourself if their timing feels too convenient.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Provincial status
Being from the countryside or smaller cities, considered less sophisticated than those from the capital. In 19th century Russia, Moscow families were often seen as backwards when they moved to St. Petersburg.
Modern Usage:
Like when someone from a small town moves to New York or LA and suddenly feels out of place around people who seem more cosmopolitan.
Marriage of convenience
A marriage arranged for practical reasons like money, social status, or family alliances rather than love. Common among the upper classes when families needed to solve financial problems.
Modern Usage:
Still happens today when people marry for citizenship, financial security, or to combine business interests rather than romance.
Dowry
Money or property that a bride's family gives to the groom's family when they marry. This was expected in upper-class marriages and could make or break a match.
Modern Usage:
Some cultures still practice this, but now it's more like expensive weddings where families go into debt to make a good impression.
Promissory note
A written promise to pay money at a future date, essentially an IOU. Families used these when they didn't have cash but needed to make financial commitments.
Modern Usage:
Like writing a check when you don't have the money in your account yet, hoping you'll figure it out before it bounces.
Social climbing
Deliberately trying to move up in society by associating with higher-class people or marrying into better families. Berg represents this calculated approach to advancement.
Modern Usage:
People who network obsessively, name-drop constantly, or date someone mainly for their connections or money.
Mixed society
A social circle that includes people from different classes and backgrounds, often seen as less prestigious than exclusive upper-class gatherings.
Modern Usage:
Like when your friend group includes people from very different income levels or social backgrounds - some people judge this as 'not classy enough.'
Characters in This Chapter
Berg
Social climber and suitor
A calculating German officer who has methodically planned his marriage to Vera for four years. He approaches marriage like a business deal, explaining his financial situation and expectations with cold precision.
Modern Equivalent:
The guy who dates someone mainly for their connections or treats relationships like networking opportunities
Vera Rostov
Bride-to-be
At 24, she's considered almost too old to marry well. Her family accepts Berg's proposal with lukewarm enthusiasm, partly from desperation and partly because she's not particularly lovable.
Modern Equivalent:
The family member everyone worries will never find someone, so they're relieved when anyone decent shows interest
Count Rostov
Desperate father
The family patriarch struggling with mounting debts and seeking a government job. He promises Berg a dowry he can't afford, showing how financial pressure forces poor decisions.
Modern Equivalent:
The parent who overspends on their kid's wedding or promises financial help they can't actually provide
Nicholas Rostov
Dutiful son
Despite his resolution to live modestly in military service, his family's debts continue growing. His attempts at responsibility can't fix the deeper financial problems.
Modern Equivalent:
The adult child trying to be responsible while their parents keep making financial mistakes
Key Quotes & Analysis
"I considered it my duty to let you know that I wish to marry your daughter"
Context: Berg's formal proposal to Count Rostov about Vera
Berg treats marriage like a business transaction, using the word 'duty' rather than love or desire. This reveals his calculated, emotionless approach to what should be a romantic moment.
In Today's Words:
I'm here to inform you that I've decided your daughter would be a suitable wife for my purposes.
"You know my income. How can we manage? That's what I wanted to ask you"
Context: Berg discussing the practical arrangements of marriage with Count Rostov
Berg reduces marriage to a financial equation, asking how they'll 'manage' rather than expressing any emotional connection. He's essentially negotiating a business deal.
In Today's Words:
Let's talk numbers - what's this going to cost me and what are you bringing to the table?
"The debts inevitably increased every year"
Context: Describing the Rostov family's worsening financial situation
This simple statement reveals the family's fundamental problem - they're living beyond their means with no real plan to change. The word 'inevitably' suggests they're trapped in a cycle.
In Today's Words:
No matter what they did, they kept going deeper into debt every year.
Thematic Threads
Financial Desperation
In This Chapter
The Rostovs' mounting debts force them to accept Berg's calculated proposal and promise dowry money they don't have
Development
Escalated from earlier money troubles to complete financial vulnerability
In Your Life:
You might recognize this when financial pressure makes you consider job offers, relationships, or deals you'd normally refuse.
Social Calculation
In This Chapter
Berg treats marriage like a business transaction, selecting Vera based on practical considerations rather than love
Development
Introduced here as extreme example of strategic social climbing
In Your Life:
You see this in people who network only for personal gain or date for status rather than genuine connection.
Class Anxiety
In This Chapter
The Rostovs discover their provincial status in Petersburg, where former guests now look down on them
Development
Continued from their earlier social decline, now with geographic displacement
In Your Life:
You might feel this when changing jobs, neighborhoods, or social circles and suddenly feeling like an outsider.
Exploitation
In This Chapter
Berg leverages the family's desperation to secure a wife and dowry while offering minimal emotional investment
Development
Introduced here as calculated opportunism
In Your Life:
You encounter this when someone offers help during your crisis but their terms seem disproportionately favorable to them.
Compromise
In This Chapter
The family accepts a loveless match because they have no better options for Vera
Development
New theme showing how circumstances force unwanted choices
In Your Life:
You face this when life circumstances make you choose between bad options rather than good ones.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
Why does the Rostov family accept Berg's proposal to Vera, even though no one seems particularly excited about it?
analysis • surface - 2
How does Berg's approach to marriage reveal his character and motivations? What does he gain from this arrangement?
analysis • medium - 3
Where do you see people today accepting relationships or opportunities they wouldn't normally consider because they feel they have no other choice?
application • medium - 4
When someone approaches you with a 'perfect solution' during a difficult time, what questions should you ask yourself before accepting?
application • deep - 5
What does this chapter reveal about how desperation changes our decision-making, and how can we protect ourselves from making choices we'll regret?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Spot the Desperation Deal
Think of a situation in your life where you felt pressured to accept something because you had limited options. Write down what you were desperate for, what the other person offered, and what they gained from the arrangement. Then identify three warning signs that someone might be taking advantage of your vulnerability.
Consider:
- •Notice how timing affects your judgment - are you being rushed to decide?
- •Ask yourself what the other person really gets out of helping you
- •Consider whether this 'opportunity' would still seem good if you weren't in crisis
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you had to make a major decision while under pressure. What would you do differently now, and how can you create more options for yourself in future difficult situations?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 118: When Old Promises Collide with New Ambitions
What lies ahead teaches us childhood promises can become adult complications, and shows us avoiding difficult conversations makes situations worse. These patterns appear in literature and life alike.