The main character of the story is the boy Vasya, who lives in the small town of Knyazhye-Veno. The place belongs to a run-down Polish family, life here is quiet and calm.

Vasya's mother died when the child was only six years old. The boy's father was very upset by the death of his wife. After her death, he began to pay more attention to his daughter, since the girl looked like a mother, and almost forgot about her son.

Vasya was on his own. He spent most of his time on the streets of the town and often looked at the ruins of an old castle, which was located on a small island. Many scary stories have been told about this place. They said that the castle stands on the bones of the captured Turks who built it. A Uniate chapel was built near the castle; now it was completely abandoned.

For a long time, people who were left without means of subsistence found shelter in the ruins of the castle. Here you could get a free roof over your head, as well as, at the very least, equip your life.

However, changes began in the castle. Former servant Janusz secured the rights to this building and began to carry out "reforms" here. He left only Catholics in the castle, and ruthlessly drove the rest of the beggars out.

II. Problematic natures

After the beggars were driven out of the castle, they walked the streets of the city for several days in search of a temporary refuge. The weather these days was not kind to people, it was pouring cold rain all the time. But soon the beggars ceased to bother the townspeople, life entered its usual rut.

Rumors spread throughout the city that the expelled from the castle found shelter in the ruins of the chapel, they also said that there were underground passages. The exiles began to periodically appear in the city, but, as the inhabitants of the castle, no longer asked for alms. They preferred to take what they needed for life themselves. For this, the townspeople were persecuted.

There were extraordinary personalities among the exiles. For example, a man nicknamed "professor". He was a harmless man who wandered around the city all day and mumbled something. He could talk for hours on any topic and was very afraid of stabbing and cutting objects. This fact amused the locals, who often mocked the "professor".

However, the exiled beggars stood up for each other. Pan Turkevich and bayonet-cadet Zausailov were distinguished by special courage. The latter was of immense growth and constantly fought with the local residents. Jews suffered the most from Zausailov.

Former official Lavrovsky was called "Pan Pisar" in the city. His tragedy is connected with the local beauty Anna, with whom the young Lavrovsky was madly in love. The girl escaped from the parental nest with one dragoon officer, after which the official started drinking. Lavrovsky often attributed terrible crimes to himself, for example, the murder of his father. But the townspeople only laughed at his stories.

Lavrovsky fell asleep on the street in any weather. He could have perished long ago if the former official had not been taken care of by Pan Turkevich, a man of tough disposition, always drunk and ready for a fight. Turkevich called himself a general, he could easily find money for a drink from local officials.

Another person worthy of attention was Tyburtsiy Drab. Outwardly, this pan was somewhat reminiscent of a monkey, but everyone was amazed at his learning. Drab knew by heart huge passages from the works of Cicero and other ancient authors.

III. Me and my father

After the death of his mother, Vasily's relationship with his father became complicated. The boy felt that the parent cared less about his son every day. Father's face was always stern, so Vasya preferred to spend as little time at home as possible. He left for the city at dawn and returned late at night. If little sister Sonya was still awake, the boy would sneak into her room, and the children played together.

For this way of life, Vasily began to be called a tramp, but he did not take offense at all and tried to think less about what others were saying. The boy loved to dream, it seemed to him that a big and interesting life was ahead of him.

Sometimes the father asked if Vasya remembered his mother? Of course, he remembered her hands, to which he loved to cuddle at night, remembered how in the last year of her life she often sat by the window, as if saying goodbye to this world. However, it was difficult for Vasily to tell his father about this, since he was always gloomy and embittered.

Having studied all the city sights, the boy became interested in the chapel, which beckoned with its riddles and promised many new impressions. And soon Vasya decided to get inside this mysterious building.

IV. I am acquiring a new acquaintance

Vasily decided to carry out his plans together with his friends. The door of the chapel was boarded up, and it was possible to get inside only through a window that was high enough above the ground.

Friends helped Vasya to climb the window frame, but they flatly refused to go down with him. The boy had to do it alone. Below it was dark, eerie and scary, plaster fell, the cry of an awakened owl was heard. It seemed to Vasya that he had come to the next world.

Having got used to it a little and looking around, our hero heard children's voices, and then saw a boy of about nine years old and a very small blonde girl with blue eyes. They turned out to be the children of Pan Tyburtsia Valek and Marusya.

They took Vasily home, and he promised new acquaintances that he would soon visit them again.

V. Acquaintance continues

Vasily began to often visit Valek and Marusya, and became increasingly attached to new friends. The girl was especially happy with his visits, she gladly accepted gifts.

Vasily compared Marusya with his sister Sonya. In some ways they were similar, even the age of one. However, unlike Sonya, Marusya was a weak and sickly girl, she did not like to frolic, like all small children.

This is all from the "gray stones" that suck the last strength from Marusya. This is approximately how Valek explained the pain of his sister. And their father, Pan Tyburtsy, told him about it. And also, according to Valek, Drab loves his children very much. This news especially upset Vasya, since his father was completely different.

Vi. Environments of "gray stones"

In this chapter, Valek invited Vasya to his home, which turned out to be a damp and dark dungeon. Now it became obvious that Vasily's new acquaintances belong to a "bad society", they are beggars.

The boy also understood what kind of "gray stones" he was talking about. Life in such a dungeon seemed to him just awful. Vasya could not be here even for a few minutes. He asked Valek to take him out into the fresh air as soon as possible.

Vii. Pan Tyburtsiy appears on the stage

Vasya still went to visit Valek and Marus. When it was warm and sunny, children played outside, and in inclement weather they went down into the dungeon. On one of these days Pan Tyburtius appeared. At first he treated the guest rudely, but then, upon learning that Vasily was the judge's son, he relented. Tyburtsiy respected the city judge very much for his principled position.

Then they all sat down to supper. Vasya noticed how greedily the children ate meat dishes. Marusya even licked her greasy fingers. The boy realized that it was difficult for the beggars, but he still condemned them for theft. Vasya was terribly afraid that his father might punish him for his connection with "bad society."

VIII. In autumn

Autumn came. On rainy days, Marusya's illness worsened. The girl lay in bed almost all the time. This circumstance greatly upset Vasya, he became even more attached to the baby, tried to take care of her as if he were his sister.

In good weather Vasya and Valek carried the girl out of the musty dungeon into the fresh air. Here she felt better, Marusya came to life for a while. But this state quickly passed.

IX. Doll

Marusya's disease progressed rapidly. The girl no longer got out of bed, she was indifferent to everything. In order to somehow distract Marusya from her illness, Vasya begged a beautiful doll from his sister. This toy has become the last and dearest in the girl's life. When she was unconscious and no longer recognized anyone, she still tightly squeezed Vasya's gift in her hands.

Father found out about the loss of Sonya's doll. He decided to severely punish his son, but Pan Tyburtius appeared in the judge's house. The beggar returned the doll and said that Marusya had died. At this moment, Vasily saw his father differently for the first time. He looked at the boy with a kind look.

Conclusion

Tyburtsy and Valek disappeared, the chapel collapsed completely, and the grave of Marusya turned green every spring. Vasya, his father and Sonya often came here.

"In a Bad Society" chapter summary Korolenko's story can be read in 15 minutes, and in 5 minutes.

"In a bad society" by chapters

Chapter 1. Ruins.
The first chapter tells the story of the ruins of an old castle and a chapel on an island not far from Knyazh-town where the main character, a boy named Vasya, lived. His mother died when the boy was only six years old. The father, heartbroken, paid no attention to his son. He only occasionally caressed Vasya's younger sister, because she looked like her mother. And Vasya was left on his own. He spent most of his time on the street. The ruins of the old castle attracted him with their mystery, as they told terrible stories about him.

This castle belonged to a wealthy Polish landowner. But the family became poor, and the castle fell into desolation. Time destroyed him. It was said about the castle that it stands on the bones of the captured Turks who built it. An abandoned Uniate chapel was located not far from the castle. In it, the townspeople and residents of neighboring villages once gathered for prayer. Now the chapel was falling apart just like the castle. For a long time, the ruins of the castle served as a haven for poor people who came there in search of a roof over their heads, because it was possible to live here for free. The phrase "Lives in the castle!" denoted the extreme need of an impoverished person.

But the time came, and changes began in the castle. Janusz, who had served the old count, the owner of the castle, for a long time, managed in some way to procure a so-called so-called sovereign charter. He began to manage the ruins and made changes there. That is, old people and old women, Catholics remained in the castle, they expelled everyone who was not a "good Christian". The screams and screams of the people chased away raced across the island. Vasya, who watched these changes, was deeply struck by human cruelty. Since then, the ruins have lost their attraction for him. Once Janusz led him to the ruins by the hand. But Vasya broke free and, bursting into tears, ran away.

Chapter 2. Problematic natures.
For several nights after the expulsion of the beggars from the castle, the city was very restless. Homeless people wandered through the streets of the city in the rain. And when spring fully came into its own, these people disappeared somewhere. At night there was no more barking of dogs, and no more knocking on fences. Life got back on track. The inhabitants of the castle began to go door-to-door again for alms, as the locals believed that someone should receive alms on Saturdays.

But the beggars expelled from the castle did not find sympathy from the townspeople. They stopped wandering around the city at night. In the evening, these dark figures disappeared from the ruins of the chapel, and in the morning they crawled out from the same side. It was said in the city that the chapel had dungeons. It was there that the exiles settled. Appearing in the city, they caused indignation and hostility among local residents, since they differed in their behavior from the inhabitants of the castle. They did not ask for alms, but preferred to take what they needed themselves. For this, they were subjected to severe persecution if they were weak, or they themselves made the townspeople suffer if they were strong. They treated the townsfolk with contempt and waryness.

Among these people were remarkable personalities. For example, "professor". He suffered from idiocy. He was nicknamed "The Professor" because he was said to be once a tutor. He was harmless and meek, walked the streets and constantly muttered something. The inhabitants used this habit of his for entertainment. Stopping the "professor" with some question, they amused themselves with the fact that he could talk for hours without interruption. An inhabitant could fall asleep under this muttering, wake up, and the "professor" stood over him. And the "professor", for an unknown reason, was terribly afraid of any piercing and cutting objects. When the man in the street got tired of muttering, he shouted: "Knives, scissors, needles, pins!" The "professor" grabbed his chest, scratched it and said that they had hooked a hook to the heart, to the very heart. And hurriedly left.

The beggars expelled from the castle always stood for each other. When the mockery of the "professor" began, Pan Turkevich or bayonet-junker Zausailov flew into the crowd of ordinary people. The latter was huge in stature with a blue-purple nose and bulging eyes. Zausailov has long been openly at war with the townspeople. If he found himself next to the persecuted "professor", then his cries could be heard in the streets for a long time, because he rushed around the town, destroying everything that came to hand. The Jews were especially affected. The bayonet-junker organized Jewish pogroms.

The townsfolk also often amused themselves over the drunken former official Lavrovsky. In memory, everyone still had the time when Lavrovsky was addressed as "Pan scribe". And now he was a rather miserable sight. The fall of Lavrovsky began after the escape with the dragoon officer of the innkeeper's daughter Anna, with whom the official was in love. Gradually he drank himself to death, and he could often be seen somewhere under a fence or in a puddle. He made himself comfortable, stretched out his legs and poured out his grief to the old fence or birch tree, that is, he talked about his youth, which was completely ruined.

Vasya and his comrades often witnessed the revelations of Lavrovsky, who accused himself of various crimes. He said that he killed his father, killed his mother and sisters and brothers. The children believed his words, and were surprised only that Lavrovsky had several fathers, since he pierced the heart of one with a sword, poisoned the other with poison, and drowned the third in the abyss. Adults refuted these words, saying that the official's parents died of hunger and disease.

So, muttering, Lavrovsky fell asleep. Very often it was soaked in rain, covered with dust. Several times he nearly froze under the snow. But he was always pulled out by the cheerful Pan Turkevich, who cared as best he could about the drunken official. Unlike the "professor" and Lavrovsky, Turkevich was not an unrequited victim of the townspeople. On the contrary, he called himself a general, and he forced everyone around him to call himself that. Therefore, he always walked importantly, his eyebrows were sternly frowned, and his fists were ready for a fight. The general was always drunk.

If there was no money for vodka, then Turkevich went to local officials. He went first of all to the house of the county court clerk and in front of a crowd of onlookers performed a whole performance on some case known in the town, portraying both the plaintiff and the defendant. He knew the court proceedings very well, so soon the cook left the house and gave the general money. This happened at every house where Turkevich came with his retinue. He ended the trip at the house of the city governor Kots, whom he often called his father and benefactor. Here he was presented with a gift, or the name of butar Mikita, who quickly controlled the general, carried him on his shoulder to the jail.

In addition to these people, many different dark personalities huddled in the chapel, engaged in petty theft. They were close-knit, and a certain Tyburtius Drab led them. Who he was and where he came from, no one knew. He was a tall man, stooped, with large and expressive features. With a low forehead and a protruding lower jaw, he resembled a monkey. But Tyburtius's eyes were extraordinary: they sparkled from under overhanging eyebrows, shone with extraordinary intelligence and insight.

Everyone was amazed at the scholarship of Pan Tyburtius. He could read Cicero, Xenophon, Virgil for hours by heart. There were different rumors about the origin of Tyburtius and his education. But this remained a mystery. Another mystery was the appearance of children in Drab, a boy of seven and a girl of three. Valek (that was the name of the boy) sometimes wandered around the city idle, and the girl was seen only once, and no one knew where she was.

Chapter 3. Me and my father.
This chapter discusses the relationship between father and son. Old Janush often told Vasya that he was in a bad society, since he could be seen either in the retinue of General Turkevich, or among Drab's listeners. Since Vasya's mother died, and his father stopped paying attention to him, the boy has hardly been at home. He avoided meeting with his father, because his face was always stern. Therefore, early in the morning he left for the city, getting out of the window, and returned late in the evening, again through the window. If little sister Sonya was still awake, the boy would sneak into her room and play with her.

Early in the morning Vasya left the city. He loved to watch the awakening of nature, wandered in a country grove, near the city prison. When the sun rose, he went home, as hunger made itself felt. They called the boy a tramp, a worthless boy. The father believed in the same. He tried to raise his son, but all his attempts ended in failure. Seeing the stern face of his father with traces of great grief from loss, Vasya was shy, lowered his eyes and closed himself. If the father had caressed the boy, then everything would have been completely different. But the man looked at him with grief-fogged eyes.

Sometimes the father asked if Vasya remembered his mother. Yes, he remembered her. How he pressed against her hands at night, how she sat sick. And now he often woke up at night with a smile of happiness on his lips from love, which was crowded in a child's breast. He stretched out his arms to accept his mother's caresses, but recalled that she was no longer there, and cried bitterly from pain and grief. But the boy could not tell his father all this because of his constant gloom. And he only cringed even more.

The gap between father and son grew wider. The father decided that Vasya was completely spoiled and had a selfish heart. One day the boy saw his father in the garden. He walked through the alleys, and there was such anguish on his face that Vasya wanted to throw himself on his neck. But the father met his son sternly and coldly, asking only what he needed. From the age of six, Vasya learned the whole “horror of loneliness”. He loved his sister very much, and she responded in kind. But as soon as they started playing, the old nanny took Sonya and took her to her room. And Vasya began to play less often with his sister. He became a vagabond.

For days he wandered around the city, watching the life of the townspeople. Sometimes some pictures of life made him stop with painful fright. Impressions fell on his soul as bright spots. When there were no unexplored places in the city, and the ruins of the castle lost their appeal for Vasya after the beggars were expelled from there, he often began to walk around the chapel, trying to find a human presence there. He got the idea to examine the chapel from the inside.

Chapter 4. I am acquiring a new acquaintance.
This chapter tells how Vasya met the children of Tyburtsia Drab. Gathering a team of three tomboy, he went to the chapel. The sun was setting. There was no one around. Silence. The boys were scared. The chapel door was boarded up. Vasya hoped to climb with the help of his comrades through a window that was high above the ground. First he looked inside, hanging on the window frame. It seemed to him that there was a deep hole in front of him. There was no sign of the human presence. The second boy, who was tired of standing below, also hung on the window frame and looked into the chapel. Vasya invited him to go down to the room on his belt. But he refused. Then Vasya himself went down there, tying together two belts and hooking them over the window frame.

He was terrified. When there was a roar of fallen plaster and the sound of the wings of an awakened owl, and in a dark corner an object disappeared under the throne, Vasya's friends fled headlong, leaving him alone. Vasya's feelings cannot be described to him, it seemed that he had come to the next world. Until he heard a quiet conversation between two children: one very small and the other Vasya's age. Soon a figure appeared from under the throne.

It was a dark-haired boy of about nine, slender in a dirty shirt, with dark curly hair. At the sight of the boy, Vasya cheered up. He felt even calmer when he saw a girl with blond hair and blue eyes, who was also trying to get out of the hatch in the floor of the chapel. The boys were ready to fight, but the girl, having got out, went up to the dark-haired one and clung to him. This solved everything. The children met. Vasya learned that the boy's name was Valek, and the girl's name was Marusya. They are brother and sister. Vasya pulled apples out of his pocket and treated his new acquaintances.

Valek helped Vasya to get back through the window, and he and Marusya left with another move. They saw off the uninvited guest, and Marusya asked if he would come again. Vasya promised to come. Valek allowed him to come only when the adults were not in the chapel. He also took a promise from Vasya not to tell anyone about a new acquaintance.

Chapter 5. Acquaintance continues.
This chapter tells how Vasya became more and more attached to his new acquaintances, visiting them every day. He wandered the streets of the city with only one purpose - to see if the adults left the chapel. As soon as he saw them in the city, he immediately went to the mountain. Valek met the boy with restraint. But Maroussia joyfully splashed her hands at the sight of the presents that Vasya brought for her. Marusya was very pale, small, not for her age. She walked badly, staggering like a blade of grass. Thin, thin, she sometimes looked very sad, not childish. Vasya Marusya resembled her mother in the last days of her illness.

The boy compared Marusya with his sister Sonya. They were the same age. But Sonya was a plump, very lively girl, always dressed in beautiful dresses. And Marusya almost never frolicked, she also laughed very rarely and quietly, like a silver bell ringing. Her dress was dirty and old, and her hair was never braided. But the hair was more luxurious than Sonya's.

At first, Vasya tried to stir up Marusya, started noisy games, involving Valek and Marusya in them. But the girl was afraid of such games and was ready to cry. Her favorite pastime was to sit on the grass and sort out the flowers that Vasya and Valek picked for her. When Vasya asked why Marusya was like that, Valek replied that it was from a gray stone sucking life out of her. Tyburtius told them so. Vasya did not understand anything, but looking at Marusya, he realized that Tyburtsy was right.

He began to behave more quietly around the children, and they could lie on the grass for hours and talk. Vasya learned from Valek that Tyburtius was their father and that he loved them. Talking with Valek, he began to look at his father differently, because he learned that everyone in the city respected him for his crystal honesty and justice. Filial pride awoke in the boy's soul, and at the same time bitterness from the knowledge that his father would never love him the way Tyburtius loves his children.

Chapter 6. Among the "gray stones".
In this chapter, Vasya learns that Valek and Marusya belong to a "bad society", they are beggars. For several days he could not go to the mountain, because he did not see any of the adult inhabitants of the chapel in the city. He wandered around the city, looking out for them and bored. One day he met Valek. He asked why he no longer comes. Vasya said the reason. The boy was delighted, because he decided that he was already bored with the new society. he invited Vasya to his place, but he fell behind a little.

Valek caught up with Vasya only on the mountain. In his hand he held a loaf. He led the guest through the passage used by the inhabitants of the chapel, into the dungeon where these strange people lived. Vasya saw the "professor" and Marusya. The girl in the light reflected from the old tombs almost merged with the gray walls. Vasya remembered Valek's words about the stone sucking life out of Marusya. He gave the apples to Marusa, and Valek broke off a piece of bread for her. Vasya was uncomfortable in the dungeon, and he suggested Valek to take Marusya out of there.

When the children went upstairs, a conversation took place between the boys, which greatly shocked Vasya. The boy found out that Valek did not buy a roll, as he thought, but stole it, because he had no money to buy it. Vasya said that stealing is bad. But Valek objected that there were no adults, and Marusya was hungry. Vasya, who never knew what hunger was, looked at his friends in a new way. He said that Valek could tell him and he would bring a roll from home. But Valek objected that you cannot feed on all the beggars. Struck to the core, Vasya left his friends, because he could not play with them that day. The realization that his friends were beggars caused a regret in the boy's soul that reached the level of heartache. He cried a lot at night.

Chapter 7 Pan Tyburtius appears on the stage.
This chapter tells how Vasya meets Pan Tyburtsiy. When the next day he came to the ruins, Valek said that he did not even hope to see him again. But Vasya resolutely answered that he would always come to them. The boys began making a sparrow trap. The thread was given to Marusa. She jerked it when, attracted by the grain, a sparrow flew into the trap. But soon the sky darkened, rain gathered, and the children went into the dungeon.

Here they started playing blind man's buff. Vasya was blindfolded, and he pretended that he could not catch Marusya until he bumped into someone's wet figure. It was Tyburtsiy, who lifted Vasya by the leg above his head and frightened him, terribly rotating his pupils. The boy tried to break free and demanded to let him go. Tyburtsiy asked Valek sternly what it was. But that had nothing to say. Finally the man recognized the boy as the judge's son. He began to ask him how he got into the dungeon, how long he came here, and to whom he had already told about them.

Vasya said that he had been visiting them for six days and had not told anyone about the dungeon and its inhabitants. Tyburtsiy praised him for this and allowed him to continue to come to his children. Then the father and son began to prepare dinner from the products brought by Tyburtsi. At the same time, Vasya drew attention to the fact that Pan Drab was very tired. This was another revelation of life, which the boy learned a lot, communicating with the children of the dungeon.

During dinner, Vasya noticed that Valek and Marusya were greedily eating a meat dish. The girl even licked her greasy fingers. Apparently they didn't see such luxury very often. From the conversation between Tyburtsiy and the "professor" Vasya understood that the products were obtained dishonestly, that is, stolen. But hunger pushed these people to steal. Marusia confirmed her father's words that she was hungry, and meat is good.

Returning home, Vasya reflected on what he had learned about life. His friends are beggars, thieves who have no home. And these words are always associated with the contemptuous attitude of others. But at the same time he was very sorry for Valek and Marusya. Therefore, his attachment to these poor children only intensified as a result of the "mental process." But the consciousness that it is not good to steal also remained.

In the garden, Vasya bumped into his father, whom he had always feared, and now, when he had a secret, he was even more afraid. When his father asked where he was, the boy lied for the first time in his life, saying that he was out for a walk. Vasya was frightened by the thought that his father would find out about his connection with "bad society" and forbid meeting with friends.

Chapter 8. Autumn.
This chapter says that with the approach of autumn, Marusya's disease worsened. Vasya could now freely come to the dungeon, without waiting for the adult inhabitants to leave. He soon became his own man among them. All the inhabitants of the dungeon occupied one larger room, and Tyburtius and his children took another smaller one. But this room had more sun and less dampness.

In the large room there was a workbench on which the inhabitants made various crafts. There were shavings and scraps on the floor. There was mud and disorder everywhere. Tyburtius sometimes forced the inhabitants to clean everything. Vasya did not often go into this room, since there was musty air and the gloomy Lavrovsky lived there. Once the boy watched as a drunken Lavrovsky was brought into the dungeon. His head dangled, his feet pounded on the steps, and tears ran down his cheeks. If on the street Vasya would have been amused by such a spectacle, then here, “behind the scenes,” the life of beggars without embellishment oppressed the boy.

In the fall, it became more difficult for Vasya to escape from the house. Coming to his friends, he noticed that Marusa was getting worse and worse. She lay more in bed. The girl became dear to Vasya, like her sister Sonya. Moreover, no one here grumbled at him, did not reproach him for depravity, and Marusya was still happy about the appearance of the boy. Valek hugged him like a brother, even Tyburtsy sometimes looked at all three with strange eyes in which a tear shone.

When the weather was good again for several days, Vasya and Valek took Marusya upstairs every day. Here she seemed to come to life. But this did not last long. Clouds were gathering over Vasya too. Once he saw old Janusz talking about something with his father. From what he heard, Vasya understood that this concerns his friends from the dungeon, and maybe himself. Tyburtsiy, to whom the boy told about what he had heard, said that the judge is a very good man, he acts according to the law. After the words of Pan Drab, Vasya saw his father as a formidable and strong hero. But this feeling was again mixed with bitterness from the knowledge that his father did not love him.

Chapter 9. Doll.
This chapter tells how Vasya brought his sister's doll to Marusa. The last fine days are over. Marusa felt worse. She no longer got out of bed, was indifferent. Vasya first brought her his toys. But they did not entertain her for long. Then he decided to ask Sonia's sister for help. She had a doll, a gift from her mother, with beautiful hair. The boy told Sonya about the sick girl and asked for a doll for a while for her. Sonya agreed.

The doll really had an amazing effect on Marusya. She seemed to come to life, hugged Vasya, laughed and talked with the doll. She got out of bed and took her little daughter around the room, sometimes even running. But the doll gave Vasya a lot of worries. When he carried her up the mountain, he met old Janush. Then Sonya's nanny discovered the missing doll. The girl tried to calm her nanny, said that the doll had gone for a walk and would be back soon. Vasya expected that his act would soon be revealed, and then his father would find out everything. He already suspected something. Janusz came to him again. Father forbade Vasya to leave home.

On the fifth day, the boy managed to slip away even before his father woke up. He came to the dungeon and found out that Marusa got worse. She didn't recognize anyone. Vasya told Valek about his fears and the boys decided to take the doll from Marusya and return it to Sonya. But as soon as the doll was taken from under the sick girl's hand, she began to cry very softly, and an expression of such grief appeared on her face that Vasya immediately put the doll back. He realized that he wanted to deprive his little friend of the only joy in life.

At home Vasya was met by his father, an angry nanny and a tear-stained Sonya. The father again forbade the boy to leave the house. For four days he languished in anticipation of imminent retribution. And that day has come. He was summoned to his father's office. He was sitting in front of a portrait of his wife. Then he turned to his son and asked if he took the doll from his sister. Vasya admitted that he took her, that Sonya allowed him to do it. Then the father demanded to say where he took the doll. But the boy flatly refused to do it.

It is not known how it would have ended, but then Tyburtius appeared in the office. He brought a doll, then asked the judge to come out with him to tell everything about the incident. the father was very surprised, but obeyed. They left, and Vasya remained alone in the office. When my father returned to the study, his face was confused. He put his hand on his son's shoulder. But now it was not the heavy hand that had gripped the boy's shoulder with force a few minutes ago. The father stroked his son's head.

Tyburtsy put Vasya on his lap and told him to come to the dungeon, that his father would allow it, because Marusya died. Pan Drab left, and Vasya was surprised to see the changes that had taken place with his father. his eyes expressed love and kindness. Vasya realized that now his father would always look at him with such eyes. Then he asked his father to let him go up the mountain to say goodbye to Marusya. The father immediately agreed. And he also gave Vasya money for Tyburtsy, but not from the judge, but on behalf of him, Vasya.

Conclusion
After the funeral of Marusya Tyburtsiy and Valek disappeared somewhere. The old chapel collapsed even more over time. And only one grave was still green every spring. This was the grave of Marusya. Vasya, his father and Sonya often visited her. Vasya and Sonya read there together, thought, shared their thoughts. Here they, leaving their hometown, made their vows.

Chapter 1. Ruins.
The first chapter tells the story of the ruins of an old castle and a chapel on an island not far from Knyazh-town where the main character, a boy named Vasya, lived. His mother died when the boy was only six years old. The father, heartbroken, paid no attention to his son. He only occasionally caressed Vasya's younger sister, because she looked like a mother. And Vasya was left on his own. He spent most of his time on the street. The ruins of the old castle attracted him with their mystery, as they told terrible stories about him.

This castle belonged to a wealthy Polish landowner. But the family became poor, and the castle fell into desolation. Time destroyed him. It was said about the castle that it stands on the bones of the captured Turks who built it. An abandoned Uniate chapel was located not far from the castle. In it, the townspeople and residents of neighboring villages once gathered for prayer. Now the chapel was falling apart just like the castle. For a long time, the ruins of the castle served as a haven for poor people who came there in search of a roof over their heads, because it was possible to live here for free. The phrase "Lives in the castle!" denoted the extreme need of an impoverished person.

But the time came, and changes began in the castle. Janusz, who had served the old count, the owner of the castle, for a long time, managed in some way to procure a so-called so-called sovereign charter. He began to manage the ruins and made changes there. That is, old people and old women, Catholics remained in the castle, they expelled everyone who was not a "good Christian". The screams and screams of the people chased away raced across the island. Vasya, who watched these changes, was deeply struck by human cruelty. Since then, the ruins have lost their attraction for him. Once Janusz led him to the ruins by the hand. But Vasya broke free and, bursting into tears, ran away.

Chapter 2. Problematic natures.
For several nights after the expulsion of the beggars from the castle, the city was very restless. Homeless people wandered through the streets of the city in the rain. And when spring fully came into its own, these people disappeared somewhere. At night there was no more barking of dogs, and no more knocking on fences. Life got back on track. The inhabitants of the castle began to go door-to-door again for alms, as the locals believed that someone should receive alms on Saturdays.

But the beggars expelled from the castle did not find sympathy from the townspeople. They stopped wandering around the city at night. In the evening, these dark figures disappeared from the ruins of the chapel, and in the morning they crawled out from the same side. It was said in the city that the chapel had dungeons. It was there that the exiles settled. Appearing in the city, they caused indignation and hostility among local residents, since they differed in their behavior from the inhabitants of the castle. They did not ask for alms, but preferred to take what they needed themselves. For this, they were subjected to severe persecution if they were weak, or they themselves made the townspeople suffer if they were strong. They treated the townsfolk with contempt and waryness.

Among these people were remarkable personalities. For example, "professor". He suffered from idiocy. He was nicknamed "The Professor" because he was said to be once a tutor. He was harmless and meek, walked the streets and constantly muttered something. The inhabitants used this habit of his for entertainment. Stopping the "professor" with some question, they amused themselves with the fact that he could talk for hours without interruption. An inhabitant could fall asleep under this muttering, wake up, and the "professor" stood over him. And the "professor", for an unknown reason, was terribly afraid of any piercing and cutting objects. When the man in the street got tired of muttering, he shouted: "Knives, scissors, needles, pins!" The "professor" grabbed his chest, scratched it and said that they had hooked a hook to the heart, to the very heart. And hurriedly left.

The beggars expelled from the castle always stood for each other. When the mockery of the "professor" began, Pan Turkevich or bayonet-junker Zausailov flew into the crowd of ordinary people. The latter was huge in stature with a blue-purple nose and bulging eyes. Zausailov has long been openly at war with the townspeople. If he found himself next to the persecuted "professor", then his cries could be heard in the streets for a long time, because he rushed around the town, destroying everything that came to hand. The Jews were especially affected. The bayonet-junker organized Jewish pogroms.

The townsfolk also often amused themselves over the drunken former official Lavrovsky. In memory, everyone still had the time when Lavrovsky was addressed as "Pan scribe". And now he was a rather miserable sight. The fall of Lavrovsky began after the escape with the dragoon officer of the innkeeper's daughter Anna, with whom the official was in love. Gradually he drank himself to death, and he could often be seen somewhere under a fence or in a puddle. He made himself comfortable, stretched out his legs and poured out his grief to the old fence or birch tree, that is, he talked about his youth, which was completely ruined.

Vasya and his comrades often witnessed the revelations of Lavrovsky, who accused himself of various crimes. He said that he killed his father, killed his mother and sisters and brothers. The children believed his words, and were surprised only that Lavrovsky had several fathers, since he pierced the heart of one with a sword, poisoned the other with poison, and drowned the third in the abyss. Adults refuted these words, saying that the official's parents died of hunger and disease.

So, muttering, Lavrovsky fell asleep. Very often it was soaked in rain, covered with dust. Several times he nearly froze under the snow. But he was always pulled out by the cheerful Pan Turkevich, who cared as best he could about the drunken official. Unlike the "professor" and Lavrovsky, Turkevich was not an unrequited victim of the townspeople. On the contrary, he called himself a general, and he forced everyone around him to call himself that. Therefore, he always walked importantly, his eyebrows were sternly frowned, and his fists were ready for a fight. The general was always drunk.

If there was no money for vodka, then Turkevich went to local officials. He went first of all to the house of the county court clerk and in front of a crowd of onlookers performed a whole performance on some case known in the town, portraying both the plaintiff and the defendant. He knew the court proceedings very well, so soon the cook left the house and gave the general money. This happened at every house where Turkevich came with his retinue. He ended the trip at the house of the city governor Kots, whom he often called his father and benefactor. Here he was presented with a gift, or the name of butar Mikita, who quickly controlled the general, carried him on his shoulder to the jail.

In addition to these people, many different dark personalities huddled in the chapel, engaged in petty theft. They were close-knit, and a certain Tyburtius Drab led them. Who he was and where he came from, no one knew. He was a tall man, stooped, with large and expressive features. With a low forehead and a protruding lower jaw, he resembled a monkey. But Tyburtius's eyes were extraordinary: they sparkled from under overhanging eyebrows, shone with extraordinary intelligence and insight.

Everyone was amazed at the scholarship of Pan Tyburtius. He could read Cicero, Xenophon, Virgil for hours by heart. There were different rumors about the origin of Tyburtius and his education. But this remained a mystery. Another mystery was the appearance of children in Drab, a boy of seven and a girl of three. Valek (that was the name of the boy) sometimes wandered around the city idle, and the girl was seen only once, and no one knew where she was.

Chapter 3. Me and my father.
This chapter discusses the relationship between father and son. Old Janush often told Vasya that he was in a bad society, since he could be seen either in the retinue of General Turkevich, or among Drab's listeners. Since Vasya's mother died, and his father stopped paying attention to him, the boy has hardly been at home. He avoided meeting with his father, because his face was always stern. Therefore, early in the morning he left for the city, getting out of the window, and returned late in the evening, again through the window. If little sister Sonya was still awake, the boy would sneak into her room and play with her.

Early in the morning Vasya left the city. He loved to watch the awakening of nature, wandered in a country grove, near the city prison. When the sun rose, he went home, as hunger made itself felt. They called the boy a tramp, a worthless boy. The father believed in the same. He tried to raise his son, but all his attempts ended in failure. Seeing the stern face of his father with traces of great grief from loss, Vasya was shy, lowered his eyes and closed himself. If the father had caressed the boy, then everything would have been completely different. But the man looked at him with grief-fogged eyes.

Sometimes the father asked if Vasya remembered his mother. Yes, he remembered her. How he pressed against her hands at night, how she sat sick. And now he often woke up at night with a smile of happiness on his lips from love, which was crowded in a child's breast. He stretched out his arms to accept his mother's caresses, but recalled that she was no longer there, and cried bitterly from pain and grief. But the boy could not tell his father all this because of his constant gloom. And he only cringed even more.

The gap between father and son grew wider. The father decided that Vasya was completely spoiled and had a selfish heart. One day the boy saw his father in the garden. He walked through the alleys, and there was such anguish on his face that Vasya wanted to throw himself on his neck. But the father met his son sternly and coldly, asking only what he needed. From the age of six, Vasya learned the whole “horror of loneliness”. He loved his sister very much, and she responded in kind. But as soon as they started playing, the old nanny took Sonya and took her to her room. And Vasya began to play less often with his sister. He became a vagabond.

For days he wandered around the city, watching the life of the townspeople. Sometimes some pictures of life made him stop with painful fright. Impressions fell on his soul as bright spots. When there were no unexplored places in the city, and the ruins of the castle lost their appeal for Vasya after the beggars were expelled from there, he often began to walk around the chapel, trying to find a human presence there. He got the idea to examine the chapel from the inside.

Chapter 4. I am acquiring a new acquaintance.
This chapter tells how Vasya met the children of Tyburtsia Drab. Gathering a team of three tomboy, he went to the chapel. The sun was setting. There was no one around. Silence. The boys were scared. The chapel door was boarded up. Vasya hoped to climb with the help of his comrades through the window, which was high above the ground. First he looked inside, hanging on the window frame. It seemed to him that there was a deep hole in front of him. There was no sign of the human presence. The second boy, who was tired of standing below, also hung on the window frame and looked into the chapel. Vasya invited him to go down to the room on his belt. But he refused. Then Vasya himself went down there, tying together two belts and hooking them over the window frame.

He was terrified. When there was a roar of fallen plaster and the sound of the wings of an awakened owl, and in a dark corner an object disappeared under the throne, Vasya's friends fled headlong, leaving him alone. Vasya's feelings cannot be described to him, it seemed that he had come to the next world. Until he heard a quiet conversation between two children: one very small and the other Vasya's age. Soon a figure appeared from under the throne.

It was a dark-haired boy of about nine, slender in a dirty shirt, with dark curly hair. At the sight of the boy, Vasya cheered up. He felt even calmer when he saw a girl with blond hair and blue eyes, who was also trying to get out of the hatch in the floor of the chapel. The boys were ready to fight, but the girl, having got out, went up to the dark-haired one and clung to him. This solved everything. The children met. Vasya learned that the boy's name was Valek, and the girl's name was Marusya. They are brother and sister. Vasya pulled apples out of his pocket and treated his new acquaintances.

Valek helped Vasya to get back through the window, and he and Marusya left with another move. They saw off the uninvited guest, and Marusya asked if he would come again. Vasya promised to come. Valek allowed him to come only when the adults were not in the chapel. He also took a promise from Vasya not to tell anyone about a new acquaintance.

Chapter 5. Acquaintance continues.
This chapter tells how Vasya became more and more attached to his new acquaintances, visiting them every day. He wandered the streets of the city with only one purpose - to see if the adults left the chapel. As soon as he saw them in the city, he immediately went to the mountain. Valek met the boy with restraint. But Marusya joyfully splashed her hands at the sight of the presents that Vasya brought for her. Marusya was very pale, small, not for her age. She walked badly, staggering like a blade of grass. Thin, thin, she sometimes looked very sad, not childish. Vasya Marusya reminded her mother in the last days of her illness.

The boy compared Marusya with his sister Sonya. They were the same age. But Sonya was a plump, very lively girl, always dressed in beautiful dresses. And Marusya almost never frolicked, she also laughed very rarely and quietly, like a silver bell ringing. Her dress was dirty and old, and her hair was never braided. But the hair was more luxurious than Sonya's.

At first, Vasya tried to stir up Marusya, started noisy games, involving Valek and Marusya in them. But the girl was afraid of such games and was ready to cry. Her favorite pastime was to sit on the grass and sort out the flowers that Vasya and Valek picked for her. When Vasya asked why Marusya was like that, Valek replied that it was from a gray stone sucking life out of her. Tyburtius told them so. Vasya did not understand anything, but looking at Marusya, he realized that Tyburtsy was right.

He began to behave more quietly around the children, and they could lie on the grass for hours and talk. Vasya learned from Valek that Tyburtius was their father and that he loved them. Talking with Valek, he began to look at his father differently, because he learned that everyone in the city respected him for his crystal honesty and justice. Filial pride awoke in the boy's soul, and at the same time bitterness from the knowledge that his father would never love him the way Tyburtius loves his children.

Chapter 6. Among the "gray stones".
In this chapter, Vasya learns that Valek and Marusya belong to a "bad society", they are beggars. For several days he could not go to the mountain, because he did not see any of the adult inhabitants of the chapel in the city. He wandered around the city, looking out for them and bored. One day he met Valek. He asked why he no longer comes. Vasya said the reason. The boy was delighted, because he decided that he was already bored with the new society. he invited Vasya to his place, but he fell behind a little.

Valek caught up with Vasya only on the mountain. In his hand he held a loaf. He led the guest through the passage used by the inhabitants of the chapel, into the dungeon where these strange people lived. Vasya saw the "professor" and Marusya. The girl in the light reflected from the old tombs almost merged with the gray walls. Vasya remembered Valek's words about the stone sucking life out of Marusya. He gave the apples to Marusa, and Valek broke off a piece of bread for her. Vasya was uncomfortable in the dungeon, and he suggested Valek to take Marusya out of there.

When the children went upstairs, a conversation took place between the boys, which greatly shocked Vasya. The boy found out that Valek did not buy a roll, as he thought, but stole it, because he had no money to buy it. Vasya said that stealing is bad. But Valek objected that there were no adults, and Marusya was hungry. Vasya, who never knew what hunger was, looked at his friends in a new way. He said that Valek could tell him and he would bring a roll from home. But Valek objected that you cannot feed on all the beggars. Struck to the core, Vasya left his friends, because he could not play with them that day. The realization that his friends were beggars caused a regret in the boy's soul that reached the level of heartache. He cried a lot at night.

Chapter 7 Pan Tyburtius appears on the stage.
This chapter tells how Vasya meets Pan Tyburtsiy. When the next day he came to the ruins, Valek said that he did not even hope to see him again. But Vasya resolutely answered that he would always come to them. The boys began making a sparrow trap. The thread was given to Marusa. She jerked it when, attracted by the grain, a sparrow flew into the trap. But soon the sky darkened, rain gathered, and the children went into the dungeon.

Here they started playing blind man's buff. Vasya was blindfolded, and he pretended that he could not catch Marusya until he bumped into someone's wet figure. It was Tyburtsiy, who lifted Vasya by the leg above his head and frightened him, terribly rotating his pupils. The boy tried to break free and demanded to let him go. Tyburtsiy asked Valek sternly what it was. But that had nothing to say. Finally the man recognized the boy as the judge's son. He began to ask him how he got into the dungeon, how long he came here, and to whom he had already told about them.

Vasya said that he had been visiting them for six days and had not told anyone about the dungeon and its inhabitants. Tyburtsiy praised him for this and allowed him to continue to come to his children. Then the father and son began to prepare dinner from the products brought by Tyburtsi. At the same time, Vasya drew attention to the fact that Pan Drab was very tired. This was another revelation of life, which the boy learned a lot, communicating with the children of the dungeon.

During dinner, Vasya noticed that Valek and Marusya were greedily eating a meat dish. The girl even licked her greasy fingers. Apparently they didn't see such luxury very often. From the conversation between Tyburtsiy and the "professor" Vasya understood that the products were obtained dishonestly, that is, stolen. But hunger pushed these people to steal. Marusia confirmed her father's words that she was hungry, and meat is good.

Returning home, Vasya reflected on what he had learned about life. His friends are beggars, thieves who have no home. And these words are always associated with the contemptuous attitude of others. But at the same time he was very sorry for Valek and Marusya. Therefore, his attachment to these poor children only intensified as a result of the "mental process." But the consciousness that it is not good to steal also remained.

In the garden, Vasya bumped into his father, whom he had always feared, and now, when he had a secret, he was even more afraid. When his father asked where he was, the boy lied for the first time in his life, saying that he was out for a walk. Vasya was frightened by the thought that his father would find out about his connection with "bad society" and forbid meeting with friends.

Chapter 8. Autumn.
This chapter says that with the approach of autumn, Marusya's disease worsened. Vasya could now freely come to the dungeon, without waiting for the adult inhabitants to leave. He soon became his own man among them. All the inhabitants of the dungeon occupied one larger room, and Tyburtius and his children took another smaller one. But this room had more sun and less dampness.

In the large room there was a workbench on which the inhabitants made various crafts. There were shavings and scraps on the floor. There was mud and disorder everywhere. Tyburtius sometimes forced the inhabitants to clean everything. Vasya did not often go into this room, since there was musty air and the gloomy Lavrovsky lived there. Once the boy watched as a drunken Lavrovsky was brought into the dungeon. His head dangled, his feet pounded on the steps, and tears ran down his cheeks. If on the street Vasya would have been amused by such a spectacle, then here, “behind the scenes,” the life of beggars without embellishment oppressed the boy.

In the fall, it became more difficult for Vasya to escape from the house. Coming to his friends, he noticed that Marusa was getting worse and worse. She lay more in bed. The girl became dear to Vasya, like her sister Sonya. Moreover, no one here grumbled at him, did not reproach him for depravity, and Marusya was still happy about the appearance of the boy. Valek hugged him like a brother, even Tyburtsy sometimes looked at all three with strange eyes in which a tear shone.

When the weather was good again for several days, Vasya and Valek took Marusya upstairs every day. Here she seemed to come to life. But this did not last long. Clouds were gathering over Vasya too. Once he saw old Janusz talking about something with his father. From what he heard, Vasya understood that this concerns his friends from the dungeon, and maybe himself. Tyburtsiy, to whom the boy told about what he had heard, said that the judge is a very good man, he acts according to the law. After the words of Pan Drab, Vasya saw his father as a formidable and strong hero. But this feeling was again mixed with bitterness from the knowledge that his father did not love him.

Chapter 9. Doll.
This chapter tells how Vasya brought his sister's doll to Marusa. The last fine days are over. Marusa felt worse. She no longer got out of bed, was indifferent. Vasya first brought her his toys. But they did not entertain her for long. Then he decided to ask Sonia's sister for help. She had a doll, a gift from her mother, with beautiful hair. The boy told Sonya about the sick girl and asked for a doll for a while for her. Sonya agreed.

The doll really had an amazing effect on Marusya. She seemed to come to life, hugged Vasya, laughed and talked with the doll. She got out of bed and took her little daughter around the room, sometimes even running. But the doll gave Vasya a lot of worries. When he carried her up the mountain, he met old Janush. Then Sonya's nanny discovered the missing doll. The girl tried to calm her nanny, said that the doll had gone for a walk and would be back soon. Vasya expected that his act would soon be revealed, and then his father would find out everything. He already suspected something. Janusz came to him again. Father forbade Vasya to leave home.

On the fifth day, the boy managed to slip away even before his father woke up. He came to the dungeon and found out that Marusa got worse. She didn't recognize anyone. Vasya told Valek about his fears and the boys decided to take the doll from Marusya and return it to Sonya. But as soon as the doll was taken from under the sick girl's hand, she began to cry very softly, and an expression of such grief appeared on her face that Vasya immediately put the doll back. He realized that he wanted to deprive his little friend of the only joy in life.

At home Vasya was met by his father, an angry nanny and a tear-stained Sonya. The father again forbade the boy to leave the house. For four days he languished in anticipation of imminent retribution. And that day has come. He was summoned to his father's office. He was sitting in front of a portrait of his wife. Then he turned to his son and asked if he took the doll from his sister. Vasya admitted that he took her, that Sonya allowed him to do it. Then the father demanded to say where he took the doll. But the boy flatly refused to do it.

It is not known how it would have ended, but then Tyburtius appeared in the office. He brought a doll, then asked the judge to come out with him to tell everything about the incident. the father was very surprised, but obeyed. They left, and Vasya remained alone in the office. When my father returned to the study, his face was confused. He put his hand on his son's shoulder. But now it was not the heavy hand that had gripped the boy's shoulder with force a few minutes ago. The father stroked his son's head.

Tyburtsy put Vasya on his lap and told him to come to the dungeon, that his father would allow it, because Marusya died. Pan Drab left, and Vasya was surprised to see the changes that had taken place with his father. his eyes expressed love and kindness. Vasya realized that now his father would always look at him with such eyes. Then he asked his father to let him go up the mountain to say goodbye to Marusya. The father immediately agreed. And he also gave Vasya money for Tyburtsy, but not from the judge, but on behalf of him, Vasya.

Conclusion
After the funeral of Marusya Tyburtsiy and Valek disappeared somewhere. The old chapel collapsed even more over time. And only one grave was still green every spring. This was the grave of Marusya. Vasya, his father and Sonya often visited her. Vasya and Sonya read there together, thought, shared their thoughts. Here they, leaving their hometown, made their vows.

A few trivial sentences are not enough to convey the summary of "In a Bad Society". Despite the fact that this fruit of Korolenko's creativity is considered to be a story, its structure and volume are more reminiscent of a story.

On the pages of the book, a dozen characters await the reader, whose fate will move along a loop-rich track for several months. Over time, the story was recognized as one of the best opuses that came out of the writer's pen. It was also reprinted many times, and a few years after the first publication it was slightly modified and published under the title Children of the Underground.

The main character and the scene

The main character of the work is a boy named Vasya. He lived with his father in the city of Knyazhye-Veno in the Southwestern region, inhabited mainly by Poles and Jews. It will not be superfluous to say that the city in the story was captured by the author "from nature." Rivne is recognized in landscapes and descriptions of the second half of the 19th century. The content of Korolenko's "In a Bad Society" is generally rich in descriptions of the surrounding world.

The child's mother died when he was only six years old. The father, busy with the judicial service and his own grief, paid little attention to his son. At the same time, Vasya was not prevented from getting out of the house on his own. That is why the boy often wandered around his hometown, full of secrets and mysteries.

Lock

One of these local attractions was which formerly served as the count's residence. However, the reader will find him in bad times. Now the walls of the castle are destroyed from impressive age and lack of care, and the beggars of the immediate vicinity have chosen the interior. The prototype of this place was the palace that belonged to the noble family of the Lubomirskys, who bore the title of princes and lived in Rovno.

Scattered, they did not know how to live in peace and harmony because of the difference in religion and conflict with the former count's servant Janusz. Using his right to decide who has the right to stay in the castle and who does not, he pointed the door to all those who did not belong to the Catholic flock or the servants of the former owners of these walls. Outcasts, however, settled in a dungeon that was hidden from prying eyes. After this incident, Vasya stopped visiting the castle, which he had visited before, despite the fact that Janusz himself called the boy, whom he considered the son of a respected family. He didn’t like what the exiles were doing. The immediate events of Korolenko's story "In a Bad Society", a brief summary of which cannot do without mentioning this episode, begin precisely from this point.

Acquaintance in the chapel

Once Vasya, together with his friends, climbed into the chapel. However, after the children realized that there was someone else inside, Vasya's friends cowardly fled, leaving the boy alone. In the chapel, there were two children from the dungeon. They were Valek and Marusya. They lived with the exiles who were evicted by Janusz.

The leader of the whole community, hiding under the ground, was a man named Tyburtius. Summary "In a bad society" can not do without its characteristics. This personality remained a secret to those around him, almost nothing was known about him. Despite his penniless lifestyle, it was rumored that the man had previously been an aristocrat. This conjecture was confirmed by the fact that the extravagant man quoted ancient Greek thinkers. Such an education did not in any way correspond to his common people appearance. Contrasts gave the townspeople a reason to consider Tyburtia a sorcerer.

Vasya quickly became friends with the children from the chapel and began to visit and feed them. These visits for the time being remained a secret for those around. Their friendship withstood such a test as Valek's confession that he steals food in order to feed his sister.

Vasya began to visit the dungeon itself, while there were no adults inside. However, sooner or later, such negligence should have betrayed the boy. And during his next visit Tyburtsiy noticed the judge's son. The children were afraid that the unpredictable owner of the dungeon would kick the boy out, but he, on the contrary, allowed the guest to visit them, taking his word that he would be silent about the secret place. Now Vasya could visit friends without fear. This is the summary of "In a Bad Society" before the start of the dramatic events.

Dungeon dwellers

He met and became close to other exiles of the castle. These were different people: the former official Lavrovsky, who loved to tell incredible stories from his past life; Turkevich, who called himself a general and loved to visit under the windows of famous residents of the city, and many others.

Despite the fact that they all differed from each other in the past, now they all lived together and helped their neighbors, sharing the modest way of life, which they had arranged by begging on the street and stealing, like Valek or Tyburtsiy himself. Vasya fell in love with these people and did not condemn their sins, realizing that they were all driven to such a state by poverty.

Sonya

The main reason the main character ran away into the dungeon was the tense atmosphere in his own home. If the father did not pay any attention to him, then the servant considered the boy a spoiled child, who, moreover, constantly disappeared in unknown places.

The only person who pleases Vasya at home is his younger sister Sonya. He is very fond of a four-year-old, playful and cheerful girl. However, their own nanny did not allow the children to communicate with each other, because she considered the older brother a bad example for the judge's daughter. Father Sonia himself loved much more than Vasya, due to the fact that she reminded him of his deceased wife.

Marousi's disease

Valek's sister Marusya fell seriously ill with the onset of autumn. In the entire work "In a Bad Society" the content can be easily divided into "before" and "after" this event. Vasya, who could not calmly look at his friend's grave condition, decided to ask Sonya for a doll that she had left after her mother. She agreed to borrow a toy, and Marusya, who had nothing of the kind due to poverty, was very happy with the gift and even began to recover in her dungeon "in a bad society." The main characters have not yet realized that the denouement of the whole story is closer than ever.

Mystery Revealed

It seemed that everything would be okay, but suddenly Janusz came to the judge to inform the inhabitants of the dungeon, as well as Vasya, who was noticed in an undesirable company. The father was angry with his son and forbade him to leave the house. At the same time, the nanny discovered the disappearance of the doll, which caused another scandal. The judge tried to get Vasya to confess where he goes and where his sister's toy is now. The boy only replied that he really took the doll, but did not say what he did with it. Even a brief summary of "In a Bad Society" shows how strong in spirit Vasya was, despite his small age.

Interchange

Several days passed. Tyburtiy came to the boy's house and gave the judge Sonya's toy. He also talked about the friendship of such different children. Struck by the story, the father felt guilty before his son, to whom he did not devote time and who, because of this, began to communicate with beggars who were not loved by anyone in the city. Finally Tyburtius told that Marusya had died. The judge allowed Vasya to say goodbye to the girl, and he himself gave money to her father, having previously advised him to hide from the city. Here the story "In a Bad Society" ends.

An unexpected visit from Tyburtsia and the news of the death of Marusya destroyed the wall between the main character of the story and his father. After the incident, the two of them began to visit the grave near the chapel, where the three children met for the first time. In the story "In a Bad Society," the main characters were never able to appear all together in one scene. No one else saw the beggars from the underground in the city. All of them suddenly disappeared, as if they did not exist.

A summary of the story of V. Korolenko "In a bad society" for grade 5.

The hero's childhood took place in the small town of Knyazhye-Veno in the Southwestern Territory. Vasya - that was the name of the boy - was the son of a city judge. The child grew up "like a wild tree in a field": the mother died when the son was only six years old, and the father, absorbed in his grief, paid little attention to the boy. Vasya wandered around the city all day, and the pictures of city life left a deep imprint on his soul.

The city was surrounded by ponds. In the middle of one of them on the island there was an ancient castle that once belonged to the count's family. There were legends that the island was filled with captive Turks, and the castle stands "on the bones of men." The owners left this gloomy dwelling long ago, and it gradually collapsed. Its inhabitants were urban beggars who had no other refuge. But there was a split among the poor.

Old Janusz, one of the former count's servants, received a certain right to decide who can live in the castle and who cannot. He left there only "aristocrats": Catholics and the former count's servants. The exiles found themselves a refuge in a dungeon under an old crypt near an abandoned Uniate chapel that stood on the mountain. However, nobody knew their whereabouts.

Old Janush, meeting Vasya, invites him to enter the castle, for there is now a "decent society." But the boy prefers the "bad society" of the exiles from the castle: Vasya pity them.

Many members of the "bad society" are well known in the city. This is a half-mad elderly "professor" who always mutters something quietly and sadly; the fierce and pugnacious bayonet-cadet Zausailov; drunken retired official Lavrovsky, telling everyone incredible tragic stories about his life. And Turkevich, who calls himself General, is famous for the fact that he “denounces” the respectable townspeople (the police chief, the secretary of the district court and others) right under their windows. He does this in order to get some vodka, and he achieves his goal: the "denounced" hurry to buy off him.

The leader of the entire community of "dark personalities" is Tyburtsiy Drab. Its origin and past are unknown to anyone. Some suppose in him an aristocrat, but his appearance is common. He is known for his extraordinary learning. At the fairs Tyburtius entertains the audience with lengthy speeches from ancient authors. He is considered a sorcerer.

Once Vasya with three friends comes to the old chapel: he wants to look there. Friends help Vasya to get inside through a high window. But when they saw that there was someone else in the chapel, the friends flee in horror, leaving Vasya to fend for themselves. It turns out that Tyburtsia's children are there: nine-year-old Valek and four-year-old Marusya. Vasya often starts coming up the mountain to his new friends, bringing them apples from his garden. But he walks only when Tyburtius cannot find him. Vasya does not tell anyone about this acquaintance. He tells his cowardly friends that he has seen devils.

Vasya has a sister, four-year-old Sonya. She, like her brother, is a cheerful and playful child. The brother and sister love each other very much, but Sonya's nanny prevents their noisy games: she considers Vasya a bad, spoiled boy. The father adheres to the same view. He does not find a place in his soul for love for the boy. Father loves Sonya more because she looks like her deceased mother.

Once in a conversation Valek and Marusya tell Vasya that Tyburtiy loves them very much. Vasya speaks of his father with resentment. But he suddenly learns from Valek that the judge is a very fair and honest person. Valek is a very serious and intelligent boy. Maroussia is not at all like the playful Sonya, she is weak, brooding, "sad". Valek says that "the gray stone sucked the life out of her."

Vasya learns that Valek is stealing food for his hungry sister. This discovery makes a heavy impression on Vasya, but still he does not judge his friend.

Valek shows Vasya the dungeon where all the members of the "bad society" live. In the absence of adults, Vasya comes there, plays with his friends. During the game of blind man's buff, Tyburtiy unexpectedly appears. Children are frightened - after all, they are friends without the knowledge of the formidable head of the "bad society". But Tyburtsiy allows Vasya to come, taking from him a promise not to tell anyone where they all live. Tyburtsiy brings food, prepares dinner - according to him, Vasya understands that the food is stolen. This, of course, confuses the boy, but he sees that Marusya is so happy with the food ... Now Vasya freely comes to the mountain, and the adult members of the “bad society” also get used to the boy, love him.

Autumn comes and Marusya falls ill. In order to somehow entertain the sick girl, Vasya decides to ask Sonya for a while for a large beautiful doll, a gift from her deceased mother. Sonya agrees. Maroussia is delighted with the doll, and she even gets better.

Old Janusz comes to the judge several times with denunciations of members of the "bad society". He says that Vasya communicates with them. The nanny notices the doll's absence. Vasya is not allowed out of the house, and after a few days he runs away secretly.

Marusa is getting worse. The dungeon dwellers decide that the doll needs to be returned, and the girl will not notice it. But seeing that they want to take the doll away, Marusya cries bitterly ... Vasya leaves the doll for her.

And again Vasya is not allowed out of the house. The father is trying to get his son to confess where he went and where the doll went. Vasya admits that he took the doll, but no longer says anything. The father is angry ... And at the most critical moment Tyburtius appears. He is carrying a doll.

Tyburtsiy tells the judge about Vasya's friendship with his children. He is amazed. The father feels guilty towards Vasya. It was as if a wall had collapsed, separating father and son for a long time, and they felt like close people. Tyburtsiy says that Marusya is dead. Father lets Vasya say goodbye to her, while he gives through Vasya money for Tyburtsiy and a warning: the head of the "bad society" is better off from the city.

Soon, almost all "dark personalities" disappear somewhere. Only the old "professor" and Turkevich remain, whom the judge sometimes gives a job to. Maroussia was buried in the old cemetery near the collapsed chapel. Vasya and his sister are looking after her grave. Sometimes they come to the cemetery with their father. When the time comes for Vasya and Sonya to leave their hometown, they pronounce their vows over this grave.