As time passes, Alexander Petrovich gradually feels “more at home” in prison (95). He no longer wanders about in confusion, learns his place in the barrack, and begins to move through the prison with less visible anguish. The convicts also grow used to him and stop watching him so closely. He submits each week to the required shaving of half his head, first by the official battalion barber, whose dull razor makes the process painful, and later by a convict barber known as “the major,” a taciturn prisoner who takes pride in shaving well and charges a kopeck for it. The barber’s nickname infuriates the actual major in charge of the prison.

From the beginning of his imprisonment, Alexander constantly calculates the time until his release. He reflects that all convicts live by hope, even when their hopes are unrealistic. He recalls men in Tobolsk chained for years to the wall, who still long to finish their terms though they will remain in prison afterward. He concludes that such hope is necessary for survival.

He also decides that labor is essential to preserve his health and sanity. Though the convicts at first mock his eagerness to work, he persists. He is often assigned to the alabaster shed with weak prisoners and noblemen under the supervision of Almazov, an older and severe laborer who despises them but knows the work. Alexander finds the labor tiring but beneficial. He also works turning a heavy flywheel in the workshop with B., another nobleman, and he particularly enjoys shoveling snow after storms, when large gangs of prisoners clear the government buildings and often become “merry” and noisy in the fresh air.

During this period, Alexander begins to form a few acquaintances. One is Petrov, a prisoner from the special section who repeatedly comes to see him during free time. Petrov is strong, restless, self-possessed, and unusually tactful in his manner. He asks abrupt questions about subjects such as Napoleon, America, apes, and books, listens attentively, thanks Alexander, and goes away. Their “absent-minded” conversations are brief but continue for years. Alexander learns that Petrov has a fearsome reputation. He once tried to attack the major and, before his imprisonment, he stabbed a colonel who struck him during drill.

Though Petrov usually appears calm and sensible, Alexander comes to believe this reputation is justified. He sees an example when Petrov quarrels with the prisoner Vassily Antonov over a rag. Petrov suddenly turns pale and advances on him in silence with such determination that the whole barrack falls quiet and Antonov immediately gives way. Petrov also steals Alexander’s Bible, sells it, and drinks away the money, then admits it without shame. Nevertheless, Alexander remains convinced that Petrov is sincerely attached to him in his own way and even pities him as a helpless and overly simple man.

Alexander observes that truly “resolute” men are rare in prison. At first, he instinctively avoids those with reputations for terrible crimes. Over time, however, his view of murderers becomes more complex. Some killers appear less frightening than others who have committed no such crimes. Among simple people, he notes, certain murders arise from strange circumstances. A quiet and submissive man may suddenly rebel against an oppressor and kill him. After crossing this boundary once, the same man may commit further murders for trivial reasons, as if intoxicated by the sense that “nothing is holy” anymore (107). In this state, he may even boast, threaten others, and try to inspire fear, yet such desperation usually lasts only until punishment arrives. On the scaffold, the same man often begs for forgiveness. Then, in prison, he may recall his crimes with boastful pride, especially when he finds a naïve listener.

During his first days in prison, Alexander hears such a story from Luka Kuzmich, called Luchka, a small, sharp-nosed Ukrainian prisoner in the barrack. Luchka works as a tailor sewing shirts and likes to boast about himself. One evening, he loudly tells the neighboring prisoner, Kobylin, how he once killed a major. According to his account, he had been imprisoned with a group of Ukrainians who were afraid of the officer commanding them. Luchka claims that he encouraged them to resist and secretly armed himself with a knife. When the drunken major appeared and declared, “I’m the tsar, I’m God” (111), Luchka stepped forward, spoke mockingly about the true tsar and God, and then suddenly stabbed the officer in the stomach.

Alexander interrupts the narrative to reflect that such arrogant phrases were once used by certain officers, especially those who had risen from the ranks and exaggerated their authority. He remarks that prisoners are especially angered by this sort of contemptuous behavior. Even a convict, however humiliated, still desires recognition of his human dignity. Harsh treatment can breed resentment, while humane and respectful conduct from superiors can have a powerful effect on prisoners. At the same time, prisoners do not respect excessive familiarity or softness from an officer.

Luchka continues his story by describing the punishment he received for the murder. He says he was sentenced to 105 lashes and publicly flogged before a crowd. He recounts how he lost consciousness during the punishment and had to be taken down several times while water was poured over him. Despite his boasts, Luchka is not feared in the prison. Although he claims to have killed six people and tries to present himself as a formidable criminal, the other prisoners treat him with little respect and often mock him.

As Christmas approaches, the prisoners await the holiday with unusual solemnity. Four days before Christmas, they are taken to the public bathhouse. In Alexander Petrovich’s prison, this is a rare event. The convicts are excited, especially Isai Fomich Bumstein, the Jewish convict, who delights in steaming himself to “the point of stupefaction” (114).

Alexander describes Isai as a small, wrinkled, branded, and comic figure. Since he is the only jeweler, he earns money from officials and townspeople, lends money to prisoners on interest, and is patronized by the local Jewish community. He also looks forward eagerly to the end of his term so that he can marry. The prisoners laugh at him but also protect him. When he first arrived in prison, they immediately tested him by bringing him worthless rags as a pledge. He seriously examined them and agreed to lend money on them, which made the prisoners laugh.

Isai also becomes a regular object of amusement during his Friday evening Sabbath observances. He covers his table, lights candles, puts on ritual garments, ties bands on his arms, and begins to pray with emotional, theatrical gestures. At one moment, he weeps over Jerusalem; at the next, he turns to joy and triumph, as prescribed by the ritual. Once, the major unexpectedly enters during the prayer, but Isai Fomich—knowing that his religion is permitted—continues with even greater energy, chanting until the major laughs and leaves.

The trip to the bathhouse is made under armed guard through the town. As the bathhouse is very small, the prisoners are divided into two groups: One waits in the freezing vestibule while the other washes. Petrov and Baklushin both help Alexander undress and manage his fetters. Inside, the bathhouse is so overcrowded, filthy, and full of steam that it seems like hell. Prisoners sit and stand packed together, chains clank everywhere, dirty water pours over bodies and heads, and the air is filled with shouting, cursing, and heat. Isai Fomich climbs to the top shelf and has himself birched by one man after another while he sings in triumph. The prisoners shout encouragement. Petrov carefully washes Alexander and after they share tea and vodka.

After the bath, Baklushin comes for tea and tells Alexander that the prisoners hope to stage a theater performance during the holidays. He himself is excited about the plan. During their conversation, he also tells the story of how he came to prison. While serving in a garrison town, he fell in love with a German laundress named Luisa and intended to marry her. When a wealthy older German watchmaker named Schultz proposed to her instead, Baklushin became enraged. He went to Schultz’s rooms, found him with Luisa, her aunt, and an elderly relative, quarreled with him, pulled out a pistol, and shot him. For two weeks, he was not suspected. During that time, he and Luisa met every day. Eventually, however, he was arrested as a result of witness testimonies. At trial, he insulted a captain and was sentenced to severe corporal punishment, then sent to the special section. He invites Alexander to attend the performance.

On Christmas Eve, almost no real work is done. After receiving assignments, most prisoners quickly return to the prison. By afternoon, nearly all are occupied with preparations for the feast. Some drink vodka, some collect debts, some obtain food from the market, and others—including Baklushin and the prison actors—search for costumes for the theater performance. Even the “most modest and thrifty” (130) prisoners spend to break the fast properly. The coming feast stirs memories of family holidays and ordinary life outside prison. This gives the day a solemn and restrained character. The prisoners are serious and seem to feel that, by keeping the feast, they remain “not entirely [outcasts]” (131).

Akim Akimych prepares for Christmas with great care. He roasts his suckling pig, inspects his new suit, has his head shaved so that it is perfectly smooth, and supervises the spreading of hay on the barrack floor. Having fulfilled these duties, he says his prayers and goes peacefully to sleep early, as do most of the prisoners.

On Christmas morning, the sergeant wishes the prisoners “a Merry Christmas” (133). They answer politely. Fires blaze in the kitchens while the prisoners hurry about the yard checking on geese, pigs, and other dishes being prepared. Some men go from barrack to barrack offering holiday greetings. Even prisoners who usually never speak to Alexander now address him affably. One young prisoner, who has never spoken to Alexander before, runs up only to say awkwardly, “it’s Christmas,” and then rushes away again. Townspeople begin sending offerings to the prison in great quantities. These gifts come from both rich and poor households and are received with gratitude. They are divided honestly and equally among the prisoners.

After prayers, the priest arrives. The prisoners venerate the cross with sincerity, and the priest blesses all the barracks. Soon after, the commandant and the major come through the prison, inspect the food, and order dinner to begin. The holiday meal is generous, with meat, shchi, kasha, and private festive dishes such as Akim Akimych’s suckling pig.

Once the officials leave, drunkenness spreads quickly. Balalaikas appear, a hired Polish fiddler begins to play, and singing breaks out in the barracks. Some older or more devout prisoners withdraw from the noise. Others begin gambling and drinking heavily. Gazin triumphantly sells vodka while remaining sober himself. The songs turn from lively to mournful.

As evening falls, the mood grows more oppressive. “Quarrels,” tears, beatings, and drunken arguments sour the festive mood. Alexander sees that many of the prisoners had expected something extraordinary from the holiday. Instead, they find only intoxication and disappointment. By night, the barracks fall into exhausted sleep. Tomorrow is just “an ordinary day” (145).

On the third day of Christmas, the prison theater gives its first performance. The prisoners have prepared in secret. Alexander Petrovich believes that the theater helps preserve order during the holidays: The prisoners refrain from quarrels and drunkenness for fear the performances might be forbidden. The actors and their supporters take the enterprise very seriously and are proud that visitors from outside the prison—including officers and officials—may come to watch.

The performance takes place in the military barracks. The curtain, painted with trees, ponds, arbors, and stars, is made from sewn scraps of linen, foot cloths, shirts, and paper. The room is packed. Benches and chairs in front are reserved for outside visitors and superiors. Petrov brings Alexander to one of the best places because the prisoners consider him a knowledgeable “judge” of the theater since he is a nobleman, and assume he will contribute more money. In this arrangement, Alexander detects not servility, but a sense of fairness and dignity. Donations are collected from the spectators. The musicians sit on the bunks with violins, balalaikas, guitars, a tambourine, and accordions. Their playing—especially the balalaikas—makes a strong impression on Alexander. Among the spectators he notices Alei and the Circassians, all delighted by the spectacle, as well as Isai Fomich, who watches in rapt expectation.

The first play is Filatka and Miroshka. Baklushin, playing Filatka, performs with great energy and precision and wins the audience over. The prisoners are especially amused by the costumes, which transform their familiar associates into squires, ladies, and civilians. Sirotkin appears as a young woman, while another prisoner plays a powdered lady with a fan and parasol. The audience responds with delight, encouraging the actors and admiring every detail.

The second play, Kedril the Glutton, is a comic drama about a master who has bargained with the devil and a servant named Kedril, played by Potseikin, who is cowardly and greedy. Kedril steals his master’s food and rejoices when his master is carried off to hell, only to then be taken himself. Potseikin’s performance makes an even greater impression on Alexander than Baklushin’s. After, there is a pantomime with music, including comic scenes of a miller, his unfaithful wife, her lovers, and a Brahmin, followed by a final ballet.

When the performance ends, the prisoners leave cheerful and satisfied. For a short time, they have been allowed to live not as convicts, but in “their own way for a little while” (163). Later, lying awake in the barrack among the sleeping prisoners as the old man prays at the stove, Alexander returns to the reality of prison but reminds himself that he is “not [in prison] forever, but only for a few years” (164).