Smerdyakov

• When Alyosha enters his father's home, his father and brother Ivan are finishing dinner and the servants attend them in the dining room.
• Here we're given a little background on Smerdyakov, Stinking Lizaveta's son.
• A quiet, sullen child, Smerdyakov was discovered to have the "falling sickness" (epilepsy); he would fall into fits every month or so. For some reason Fyodor grew quite fond of the boy after his illness was discovered.
• One day, Smerdyakov was found picking through his soup, and Fyodor decided that Smerdyakov should be trained as a chef. After training in Moscow, Smerdyakov came back to be Fyodor's cook. Now 24, he is just as sullen and silent as ever.