Like her husband, this character develops the theme of Depth and Shallowness, embodying concepts like vanity and immaturity; unlike Chertokutsky, she demonstrates how these concepts inflect the private sphere of the home. Readers learn little about her—not even her first name—aside from the fact that she is physically beautiful and has lived in some degree of luxury since she was born. When she married Chertokutsky, she brought with her a dowry of “two hundred souls and several thousands in capital” (184), which suggests that her parents were also wealthy landowners, perhaps even aristocrats. Her youthful bloom and unspoiled nature are emphasized in several scenes, even when she is engaged in ordinary daily activities. When a drunk Chertokutsky arrives home from the general’s dinner, for example, he sees his wife sleeping “in the most enchanting position” (190); when she wakes the following morning, she bathes in “water that was as fresh as herself” (191).

This sense of domestic innocence shatters with the slightest interruption from the masculine world of political elections and military campaigns. When she sees the regiment’s carriages approaching the home, Chertokutsky’s wife panics immediately, and in a scene of comedic anarchy, tramples the carefully planted flowers in her rush to get out of sight. She refuses to take any responsibility for letting Chertokutsky oversleep, telling him in “an extraordinarily languid and pleading voice” that she felt sorry for him because he arrived home so late (193). This—along with her use of “poopsie-pooh” as a nickname for her husband—suggests that she is accustomed to using both her beauty and her perceived naivete to avoid conflict, labor, or the demands of the world outside the home.

The narrator describes the general as “hefty and corpulent” with a “deep, imposing bass voice” and (185)—like the other officers—a mustache that he frequently smooths. He is well-liked by the soldiers in his regiment, who describe him as a good commander and clearly wish to please him. He enjoys expensive food and drink, card games, and socializing with others of his station. He also appears to place great emphasis on decorum and respectability and is shocked when other people do not conduct themselves as he expects. When Chertokutsky is apparently absent from his home after the guests arrive, the general assumes it is a joke, saying “That’s a good one!” (194). Even after the footman makes it clear that it is not a joke, the general cannot process what is happening, saying, “How can that be?” and “But really, how can anyone behave like that?” (194). He does not understand how someone of Chertokutsky’s rank could make such a grievous social error and expects those of a lower social status to explain the situation to him. Indeed, as the general continues to ask the other officers what is happening, the narrator points out that the general “had the habit of always uttering this interrogative participle when speaking with a subaltern” (194). Thus, despite his much higher position in the social hierarchy, the general frequently relies on the insight and intelligence of those who are in his service.