Character Sketch

In 1828, somewhere in the countryside north of Moscow, Leo Gustov was born into the Russian nobility. Count Gustov although acquainted with the finer things that life had to offer, knew that the Romantic view of the world was false early in his life. His mother left this world when he was two, and his father undoubtedly told horrific stories of the chaotic Napoleon Wars. This, coupled with the consecutive deaths of not only his father, …

…to see a doctor. Where Ivan’s revelation of life occurred during the last days of his life, Gostov’s occurred somewhere around 1877, following the deaths of his 7th, 8th, and 9th children in infancy. Both, however, came up with the same conclusion: a materialistic and self-centered life is not a good one. Only when your life has an unselfish, community minded purpose is it worth living. With "forgive me" on their lips, they died.