Character Analysis
Samsonov is a wily old businessman who becomes Grushenka's "patron" when she is dumped by her Polish boyfriend. By the time the novel begins, Grushenka is relatively independent of Samsonov, although he continues to mentor her in both her business and her love affairs. When Dmitri seeks a loan from him, Samsonov plays a malicious joke on him, sending him on a wild goose chase.