An Honest Thief

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"An Honest Thief" (Russian: Честный вор) is an 1848 short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky. The story recounts the tale of the tragic drunkard Yemelyan.

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The story opens with the narrator taking on a lodger in his apartment, an old soldier named Astafy Ivanovich. One day a thief steals the narrator's coat, and Astafy tries to pursue him unsuccessfully. Astafy is dismayed by the theft, and he goes over the scenario over and over again. The narrator and Astafy share a distinct contempt for theives, and one night Astafy tells the narrator a story of an honest thief that he had once run across.

One night in a pub, Astafy Ivanovich happened upon Yemelyan Ilych. Yemelyan was obviously poor from the look of his tattered coat, and he was aching for a drink but had not the money. Astafy was moved by Yemelyan's acutely pathetic position, and he bought him a drink. From then on Yemelyan followed Astafy everywhere, eventually moving into his apartment. Astafy did not have much money himself, but he allowed Yemelyan's imposition because he was very aware that his drinking was a terrible problem. Yemelyan would not stop his drinking, however, and even though he was quiet and not disruptive when he was drunk, Astafy could see that Yemelyan would never be able to support himself with such a habit. Astafy urged him to quit drinking, but to no avail. Eventually Astafy effectively gave up on him and moved, never expecting to see Yemelyan again.

Very soon after Astafy had moved Yemelyan appears at his new apartment, and the two continue to go on as they had before. Astafy would support Yemelyan with food and lodging, and Yemelyan would always go out and come back drunk. Sometimes he would disappear for days only to return drunk and almost frozen.

Astafy, now working as a tailor, was short on money. One of his projects, a pair of riding breeches for a wealthy customer, were never claimed. He thought he could sell the breeches to get money for more useful clothes and some food, but when he decided to sell the breeches they were nowhere to be found. Yemelyan was drunk as usual, and denied the theft. Astafy was terribly vexed by the theft, and kept looking for the breeches while still suspicious of Yemelyan. Yemelyan always denied the theft.

One day Astafy and Yemelyan had a terrible fight over the breeches and Yemelyan's drinking, and Yemelyan left the apartment and didn't return for days. Astafy even went to look for him one day, but with no luck. Eventually Yemelyan did return, almost starved and frozen. Astafy took him back in, but it was clear that Yemelyan's days were numbered. Days later, after Yemelyan's health had deteriorated terribly, Yemelyan wanted to tell Astafy something about the breeches. With his last words, Yemelyan admitted to stealing the breeches.