At the opening of the chapter, the unnamed narrator who has appointed himself as the editor of Alexander’s notes adds a correction to an earlier account. A nobleman once described in the prison as a parricide has since been officially declared innocent. The real criminals were later discovered, and the man was released after serving 10 years of hard labor for a crime he did not commit. The narrator offers this fact as “another new and extremely striking feature” of prison life and then returns to Alexander’s narrative (250).

Alexander reflects that he adjusted to prison life only after nearly a year, though this first year remained “the hardest year of [his] life” (250). He became increasingly convinced that prisoners never truly settle into prison life, but live in a constant state of inner expectation, dreaming of freedom, transfer, escape, or some impossible change in fate. This restless hope gives the prison its peculiar atmosphere. At the same time, there are divisions among the convicts. Some are gloomy and malicious; others are kinder and quieter. A select few seem to have fallen into total despair. Alexander also reflects on the special position of noble prisoners who—no matter how just or intelligent they might be—could never become true comrades to the peasant convicts. A nobleman might suffer the same punishment, but he remains permanently separate from the common men.

This truth becomes painfully clear during a disturbance in the prison that summer. For several days, the convicts have been angry about the food, especially the repeated serving of tripe and poor soup during a season of hard labor. Complaints spread in the barracks and kitchen. Finally, the prisoners rise together in the yard and decide to present a grievance to the major. Agitators such as Martynov, Vassily Antonov, and Petrov are especially active, though many others join in from general resentment and restlessness.

Unaware at first of what is happening, Alexander goes out with the others, thinking they are being lined up for some ordinary purpose. The prisoners immediately react with surprise and hostility. Several tell him directly that this is “not the place” for a nobleman and that this is none of his business (259). They tell Alexander to go to the kitchen with the other noblemen and those who are not participating. Kulikov takes Alexander by the arm and leads him out of the protest. In the kitchen, he finds the Poles, other noble prisoners, timid men who stayed behind, and Akim Akimych, who opposes all such actions on principle.

The enraged major arrives, followed by officials and guards. He threatens the prisoners, demands to know the identities of the instigators, and has several men sent to the guardhouse. When some prisoners begin to declare that they are “content,” the major seizes on this opportunity and quickly breaks up the protest. The men are sent to work. Later, the supposed instigators are punished, though not severely. The food improves briefly afterward.

That evening, Alexander asks Petrov whether the prisoners are angry with the noblemen for not joining them. Petrov answers with genuine surprise, asking “what kind of comrade” Alexander could be to the common prisoners (265). In that moment, Alexander fully understands that no matter how long he remains in prison, he will never be accepted as one of them.

At first, Alexander is naturally drawn to “[his] own kind” (266), the other noblemen. Among the three Russian noblemen already in the prison, however, he associates mainly with Akim Akimych. Alexander often turns to him only out of loneliness and despair. Akim Akimych seems almost uniquely adapted to prison life, as if he intends to live in prison forever. He is kind and helpful, but his calm, dutiful acceptance of prison and his dry talk of reviews, regulations, and decorations often deepen Alexander’s anguish during the first year. Later he becomes ashamed of having inwardly resented him.

Besides these men, there are eight more noble prisoners during Alexander’s time. Of them, the most important to him are M—cki, B—ski, T—ski, and the elderly Zh—ski. M—cki is intelligent, noble, and self-controlled but deeply mistrustful and inwardly divided. Alexander respects him without ever fully loving him. B—ski, by contrast, is sickly, irritable, and capricious but also kind and magnanimous. Alexander feels genuine affection for him. T—ski, devoted to B—ski, later distances himself from Alexander when the latter quarrels with B—ski. All these men suffer greatly in prison, not only because they are far from home and under long sentences, but because they are completely cut off from the common prisoners and can see in the prison only brutality. They remain on reasonable terms with the Circassians, Tatars, and Isai Fomich, but turn away from the Russian convicts with loathing.

Zh—ski, an older and eccentric former mathematics teacher, is respected by the convicts after a memorable incident upon his arrival. Since he answers the major literally and awkwardly when asked about himself, the major orders him to be flogged. Zh—ski endures the punishment without crying out and then begins to pray. This deeply impresses the other prisoners, who respect that he had “not cried out under the lashes” (270).

Alexander reflects that noble prisoners in Siberia are often viewed somewhat differently by the higher authorities, partly because of old traditions established by earlier exiles from the nobility. This does not spare them from labor or the fetters, but it does sometimes protect them from arbitrary corporal punishment. He recalls his own first meeting with the major, who receives him and another noble convict with a harsh attitude full of threats. Later, under Lieutenant Colonel G—kov, conditions briefly improve. G—kov is loved by the prisoners “like a father” for his warmth (274), natural manner, and absence of official coldness. He trusts the convicts, jokes with them, and treats them as human beings. He also arranges for B—ski and Alexander to work for a time in the engineering office, though this privilege is soon stopped after someone denounces the nobles.

As the years pass, M—cki becomes more withdrawn and bitter. He is animated only by thoughts of his mother and news from the outside world. One day, he is unexpectedly summoned and told that his mother’s petition has succeeded and that he is free. He leaves prison, settles nearby, and visits often. Among the remaining noblemen, B—m stands apart as a coarse and unpleasant man, though an excellent painter. His skill wins favor from the major, who even drunkenly apologizes to Zh—ski at one point. Soon after, however, the major himself is dismissed, reduced to poverty, and stripped of the authority that had made him so formidable.

Soon after the major is replaced, the prison undergoes “radical changes” (280). Hard labor in its previous form is abolished, and the prison becomes a penal company of the military department, modeled on similar institutions in Russia. No new civil convicts are sent there, though those already present remain until they complete their terms. The special section also remains. New officers, sergeants, and internal arrangements are introduced. For the prisoners, however, daily life changes little. The main difference is that the major is gone. The atmosphere immediately improves. The prisoners feel less fear and, though vodka smuggling and other old practices continue, the new sergeants are generally more sensible and less oppressive.

Alexander explains that he could describe many more years of prison life, but that they all passed in a slow and painful sameness. He remembers above all his solitude, his constant counting of the days, and the hopes with which he tried to preserve himself for a future life beyond prison. At this point, he turns to one memorable event from those years: an escape.

Though many prisoners dream of running away, actual escapes are rare because of the strict military regime, the exposed location, and the risks involved. Still, two particularly capable men decide to try. One is A—v, the former informer, now more clever and calculating than before. He has been involved in falsifying passports and is prepared to do anything to change his fate. The other is Kulikov, an energetic, gifted, and ambitious man who is too full of vitality to remain resigned to prison life. They join forces and enlist a convoy soldier, Koller, a Polish corporal who had once already deserted out of a “deep longing” for home and whose old resentment still remains alive in him.

The plan is carried out during outside work. Kulikov and A—v are assigned as porters with the prisoner Shilkin. They are guarded by Koller and a young recruit. They leave the worksite on the pretext of fetching tools, but Shilkin soon grows suspicious. He retraces their supposed errand and, when he finds they have not gone where they claimed, he reports the disappearance. Panic spreads among the authorities. Messages are sent everywhere, Cossacks are dispatched, and the whole prison is searched in a “panic-stricken” frenzy. Among the prisoners, however, the escape causes excitement, pride, and secret joy. For several days, the fugitives are admired as heroes who have shown that escape is possible. Everyone is “proud of them” (288).

A week later, news arrives that their trail has been found. Soon after, the escapees are captured about 50 miles away. They had hidden in a forest and finally surrendered when they were surrounded. The prisoners are disappointed and, at once, begin mocking the men they had earlier praised. When the men are brought back and tried, A—v receives 500 strokes, while Kulikov, as a man from the special section, receives 1,500. Koller is punished even more heavily and sent away elsewhere. After this failed attempt, Kulikov’s “glory faded considerably” (293).

In his final year at hard labor, Alexander Petrovich finds prison life somewhat easier than before. By this time, many prisoners have come to regard him as a decent man. Several treat him with sincere friendship and devotion. Some, however, remain “stern and unfriendly” (294), maintaining the barrier that always separated him from the convict majority.

During this period, he also enjoys small privileges. Through acquaintances among the military personnel in town, he is able to receive letters, obtain a little money, and read books. For several years, he had lived without reading anything and the first book he receives makes a powerful impression on him. Reading late into the night, he eagerly searches its pages for information about the world which now seems distant and alien. Familiar names recall his former life, while new names remind him that the world has continued without him. This realization gives him both excitement and sadness, as he recognizes how distant he has become from ordinary life.

Since he entered prison in winter, Alexander’s release is also scheduled for winter on the same date. As autumn passes, he waits impatiently for the arrival of the cold season, yet as the day approaches, he becomes strangely calmer and more patient. Other prisoners congratulate him sincerely, though their congratulations also show that they already see him as someone leaving their world. Even friendly men speak to him as one who will soon belong to another life.

On the evening before his release, he walks for the last time along the prison fence, remembering the many years he spent within those walls. The following morning, he visits the barracks to say farewell. Some prisoners shake his hand warmly, while others respond coldly or turn away. Sushilov, who has served him faithfully, weeps when they part. Alexander also bids farewell to Akim Akimych.

Soon afterward, he and his companion leave the prison and go to the blacksmith’s workshop. There, the fetters are removed from his legs. Holding the chains briefly in his hands, he reflects that they have just fallen away. The prisoners wish him well as he turns toward “freedom, a new life, resurrection from the dead” (298). This, Alexander declares, is a glorious moment.