- Later that night Nikolai sees Marya writing in her diary. When he reads it, he sees it’s all descriptions of family life – mostly about the kids, and what they are doing, and what she thinks about how she is raising them.
- Nikolai is amazed by this stuff. He never knew how deeply she thought about being a mom.
- He then tells her about Pierre and his secret society. He complains how he felt kind of trapped into a corner by the conversation.
- Marya agrees with him. Then she tells him that she worries about Nikolenka and the fact that she doesn’t love him as much as her own kids.
- Nikolai doesn’t like him at all, so he basically says it’s fine, and that she's a great aunt to him.
- They keep talking.
- Suddenly, Nikolai realizes that if something were to happen to Marya, the whole family would be completely lost.