Character Analysis
Zverkov
In Part 1, the Underground Man spoke of the "man of direct action" as being diametrically opposite to the "man of acute consciousness." We have seen that the Underground Man is so hyper-conscious that he must examine every action so thoroughly that, as a result, he is rendered inactive. His acute consciousness prevents him from ever accomplishing anything. Zverkov is the complete opposite of the Underground Man. Zverkov functions in society with success, he has a coterie of acquaintances (maybe even friends), and he is admired by many; he is the man of action. By the standards set up by the Underground Man (that is, the man of action is of necessity stupid), Zverkov can perform any action without being hindered by introspection, but at the same time, he probably has little or no true understanding of the action he commits.