Original Text(~250 words)
CHAPTER XXIII From an unfinished house on the Varvárka, the ground floor of which was a dramshop, came drunken shouts and songs. On benches round the tables in a dirty little room sat some ten factory hands. Tipsy and perspiring, with dim eyes and wide-open mouths, they were all laboriously singing some song or other. They were singing discordantly, arduously, and with great effort, evidently not because they wished to sing, but because they wanted to show they were drunk and on a spree. One, a tall, fair-haired lad in a clean blue coat, was standing over the others. His face with its fine straight nose would have been handsome had it not been for his thin, compressed, twitching lips and dull, gloomy, fixed eyes. Evidently possessed by some idea, he stood over those who were singing, and solemnly and jerkily flourished above their heads his white arm with the sleeve turned up to the elbow, trying unnaturally to spread out his dirty fingers. The sleeve of his coat kept slipping down and he always carefully rolled it up again with his left hand, as if it were most important that the sinewy white arm he was flourishing should be bare. In the midst of the song cries were heard, and fighting and blows in the passage and porch. The tall lad waved his arm. “Stop it!” he exclaimed peremptorily. “There’s a fight, lads!” And, still rolling up his sleeve, he went out to the porch. The factory hands followed...
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Summary
In a Moscow tavern, drunk factory workers and blacksmiths clash over access to alcohol, quickly escalating into violence when a smith gets bloodied. A tall, agitated worker emerges as an unofficial leader, rallying the crowd with talk of law and order while ironically participating in the chaos himself. The group grows as they move through the streets, picking up unemployed bootmakers whose employer has disappeared without paying them. When someone reads an official proclamation promising action against enemies, the crowd expects decisive leadership but gets vague, almost comical language about returning for dinner. Their disappointment deepens when the police superintendent—who has been secretly profiting from the crisis—dismisses them curtly and flees rather than addressing their concerns. The crowd's anger shifts from their original grievances to a broader sense of abandonment: 'the gentry and merchants have gone away and left us to perish.' This chapter reveals how quickly social order can collapse when people feel abandoned by those in power. The workers aren't inherently violent—they're responding to genuine grievances about unpaid wages and unclear authority. But without proper leadership or clear communication, their legitimate concerns transform into dangerous mob behavior. Tolstoy shows us how ordinary people become radicalized not through ideology, but through the basic human need for security and respect that goes unmet.
That's what happens. To understand what the author is really doing—and to discuss this chapter with confidence—keep reading.
Terms to Know
Dramshop
A tavern or bar where alcohol was sold, often in working-class neighborhoods. These were gathering places where laborers would drink after work, but also where social tensions could quickly boil over into violence.
Modern Usage:
Think of dive bars or corner liquor stores where people gather to drink and vent about their problems.
Factory hands
Industrial workers who operated machinery in factories during Russia's early industrialization. They were often poorly paid, overworked, and had little job security, making them vulnerable to economic disruption.
Modern Usage:
Like today's warehouse workers, retail employees, or gig workers - people doing physical labor for low wages with uncertain employment.
Mob mentality
When individuals in a group lose their personal identity and moral reasoning, following the crowd's emotions instead of thinking independently. Fear, anger, and uncertainty can quickly turn ordinary people into an uncontrollable mass.
Modern Usage:
We see this in social media pile-ons, riot situations, or even Black Friday stampedes where normal people act in ways they never would alone.
Power vacuum
When traditional authority figures abandon their posts or lose control, leaving no clear leadership. This creates chaos as people don't know who's in charge or what rules still apply.
Modern Usage:
Like when management disappears during a company crisis, or when local government fails during natural disasters, leaving communities to fend for themselves.
Scapegoating
Blaming a specific group for broader problems, especially during times of crisis. It's easier to target visible outsiders than address complex systemic issues that created the real problems.
Modern Usage:
Politicians blaming immigrants for economic problems, or communities targeting certain groups during tough times instead of looking at root causes.
Class abandonment
When wealthy or powerful people flee during crises, leaving working people to face the consequences alone. This betrayal of social responsibility breeds deep resentment and can spark violent uprising.
Modern Usage:
Like wealthy people fleeing cities during COVID while essential workers stayed, or corporate executives getting golden parachutes while laying off employees.
Characters in This Chapter
The tall, fair-haired lad
Unofficial leader
An agitated factory worker who tries to impose order on the drinking crowd but gets caught up in the violence himself. His contradictory behavior - preaching law and order while participating in chaos - shows how crisis can make even well-meaning people lose their moral compass.
Modern Equivalent:
The coworker who tries to organize everyone during a workplace crisis but ends up making things worse
The factory hands
Displaced workers
Drunk industrial workers whose employers have disappeared, leaving them without wages or direction. They represent the working class caught between their legitimate grievances and their tendency toward destructive behavior when abandoned by authority.
Modern Equivalent:
Laid-off workers whose company closed without notice, angry and drinking while trying to figure out what to do next
The bootmakers
Economic victims
Unemployed craftsmen whose master fled without paying them. They join the growing crowd because they share the same grievance - being abandoned by those who owed them wages and respect.
Modern Equivalent:
Gig workers whose app company suddenly shuts down, leaving them with unpaid earnings and no recourse
The police superintendent
Corrupt authority figure
A government official who has been secretly profiting from the crisis while publicly maintaining order. When confronted by the crowd, he dismisses them and flees rather than address their legitimate concerns.
Modern Equivalent:
The manager who's been skimming from the company while telling employees there's no money for raises, then disappears when things fall apart
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
This chapter teaches how to spot the dangerous moment when legitimate authority disappears and unqualified people rush to fill the gap.
Practice This Today
This week, notice when supervisors, parents, or community leaders are absent during problems—watch who steps up and whether they're actually helping or just making noise.
You have the foundation. Now let's look closer.
Key Quotes & Analysis
"The gentry and merchants have gone away and left us to perish."
Context: After being dismissed by corrupt officials who won't address their grievances
This captures the core injustice that drives people to revolt - not ideology, but the basic feeling of abandonment by those who should take responsibility. When the powerful flee and leave working people to face consequences alone, it breeds the kind of resentment that topples societies.
In Today's Words:
The rich people and bosses all bailed on us when things got tough.
"Stop it! There's a fight, lads!"
Context: Trying to control violence while being part of the chaotic crowd himself
Shows the contradiction at the heart of mob behavior - people want order and leadership, but their own emotions and circumstances make them part of the problem. Even those trying to lead get swept up in the chaos they're trying to control.
In Today's Words:
Hey, knock it off! We've got bigger problems to deal with!
"They were singing discordantly, arduously, and with great effort, evidently not because they wished to sing, but because they wanted to show they were drunk and on a spree."
Context: Describing the factory workers' forced revelry in the tavern
Reveals how people perform emotions they don't really feel when they're desperate or lost. These workers aren't genuinely celebrating - they're trying to convince themselves and others that they're having fun when they're actually scared and angry about their situation.
In Today's Words:
They were forcing themselves to party and act wild, not because they were actually having fun, but because they wanted everyone to think they didn't care about their problems.
Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
The Road of Abandoned Authority - How Power Vacuums Create Chaos
When legitimate power disappears or fails to respond, people create chaotic alternatives around whoever steps forward first.
Thematic Threads
Class
In This Chapter
Working-class people feel abandoned by the wealthy who have fled, creating an us-versus-them dynamic
Development
Deepening from earlier social tensions to active class resentment and abandonment
In Your Life:
You might feel this when management makes decisions that affect your job security but won't face employees directly
Leadership
In This Chapter
Legitimate authority figures flee while unqualified but present individuals fill the leadership void
Development
Introduced here as contrast to earlier military and aristocratic leadership
In Your Life:
You see this when the most vocal person in a crisis becomes the default leader, regardless of their actual competence
Communication
In This Chapter
Official proclamations use vague, meaningless language while people need clear, actionable information
Development
Building on earlier themes of miscommunication between social levels
In Your Life:
You experience this when authorities give non-answers to serious questions about your job, health, or safety
Social Order
In This Chapter
Peaceful workers become a dangerous mob when their basic needs for security and respect aren't met
Development
Escalation of earlier social instability into active breakdown
In Your Life:
You might see this in how quickly workplace complaints can escalate when management ignores legitimate concerns
Economic Survival
In This Chapter
Unpaid workers join the crowd because their basic economic security has been threatened
Development
Continuation of war's economic disruption affecting ordinary people's livelihoods
In Your Life:
You understand this when financial stress makes you more likely to join group actions or protests
Modern Adaptation
When Management Disappears
Following Andrew's story...
Andrew watches the warehouse floor descend into chaos after corporate headquarters suddenly closes their regional office without warning. The floor supervisor vanished yesterday, leaving two hundred workers without paychecks or answers. In the break room, tempers flare over who gets the last coffee, but it's really about the fear underneath. Marcus, a loudmouth forklift operator, starts holding impromptu meetings, promising he'll 'get answers from corporate' and talking tough about 'what we deserve.' More workers gather around him each day, even though Andrew notices Marcus was the same guy who used to steal lunches and blame others. When the skeleton crew of remaining managers finally sends a generic email about 'reviewing the situation,' the workers feel even more dismissed. Andrew sees how quickly people gravitate toward Marcus's angry certainty rather than wait for real solutions. The warehouse that ran smoothly for years is now splitting into factions, all because the people in charge abandoned ship without a transition plan.
The Road
The road those Moscow workers walked in 1812, Andrew walks today. The pattern is identical: when legitimate authority disappears during crisis, people don't wait patiently—they follow whoever speaks loudest and most confidently, even if that person is completely unqualified to lead.
The Map
This chapter teaches Andrew to recognize authority vacuums before they turn toxic. When power structures collapse, he can identify the difference between genuine leaders and people who just talk loudest.
Amplification
Before reading this, Andrew might have assumed someone competent would naturally step up during workplace crises. Now he can NAME authority vacuums, PREDICT that the loudest voice usually fills them first, and NAVIGATE by either stepping up responsibly himself or building coalitions with level-headed people before chaos takes hold.
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
What specific problems were the workers facing, and how did their attempt to get help from authorities go wrong?
analysis • surface - 2
Why did the tall worker become the group's leader even though he was drunk and part of the original fight?
analysis • medium - 3
Where have you seen this same pattern - people following whoever speaks loudest when real authority figures disappear or give non-answers?
application • medium - 4
If you were in this crowd with legitimate concerns but saw things turning dangerous, what would be your strategy for either redirecting the group or protecting yourself?
application • deep - 5
What does this scene reveal about what people really need from their leaders, and what happens when those needs go unmet?
reflection • deep
Critical Thinking Exercise
Authority Vacuum Mapping
Think of a situation in your life where authority figures disappeared or gave inadequate responses to real problems - at work, in your family, your neighborhood, or your community. Map out what happened: What was the original problem? Who was supposed to handle it? What kind of response did people get? Who stepped into the leadership vacuum, and why that person? How did it turn out?
Consider:
- •Focus on the moment when people realized official help wasn't coming
- •Notice whether the 'replacement leader' was chosen for good reasons or just availability
- •Consider what could have prevented the situation from going sideways
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when you had to decide whether to step up and lead during a crisis, or when you chose to follow someone who emerged as a leader. What factors influenced your decision, and how did it work out?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 253: When Leaders Lose Control
What lies ahead teaches us leaders rationalize poor decisions when under pressure, and shows us the gap between public image and private panic in authority figures. These patterns appear in literature and life alike.