Crime and Punishment Book

A poor (former) university student struggles for nearly a month with thoughts of murdering an old woman, a pawnbroker, whom he considers a leech on society. After a "experimental" visit to the old pawnbroker, Raskolnikov meets a man named Marmeladov at a tavern, who confesses that his drinking problem has been the cause of his family's poverty, which has forced his daughter, Sonia, into a life of prostitution. Raskolnikov accompanies Marmeladov home, where he witnesses firsthand the family's misfortunes.