Verba Diei I

Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment follows Raskolnikov, a young ex-student in St. Petersburg, and his slow descent into madness, driven by his theory that extraordinary individuals are not held accountable by moral laws. But after encountering poverty, suffering, and sacrifice up close, he begins to unravel. In Part I, Chapter II, Raskolnikov meets Marmeladov, a drunken and broken civil servant, part of a family held together by sacrifice. After following this man home and quietly leaving a few coins on the windowsill for him, Raskolnikov is sickened, not by what he just saw, but by his broader realization about human nature. And then, near the end of the chapter, comes the reflective line:

"Man can get used to anything, the villain!"- Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment, Part I, Chapter II

This is Raskolnikov's first confession, not of guilt, but of truth. We think that we're inherently moral creatures, but more often than not, we're simply creatures driven by habit. We adjust, we tolerate, we survive, and we overcome things we should never be okay with - and we call that strength.

However, Dostoevsky doesn't admire this aspect of human nature; rather, he condemns it. Getting used to being the subject of degradation is not an act of endurance; it's just a quiet surrender. That's what makes man a "villain": not the crime, but how easily he learns to live with it subconsciously.

Like Raskolnikov, we all rationalize. We adapt to pressure, pain, and injustice, but the scariest part? We stop noticing. What have you gotten used to? Waking up anxious? Speaking half-truths to get through your day? That's how it happens... slowly and silently. Not with some monstrous act, but with a quiet compromise that begins to feel normal. Stoicism reminds us to stay awake, but Dostoevsky warns us about what happens when we don't.