Alexander is sentenced to prison for murder, and many of the inmates around him have similar stories. Through the lens of the camp, however, Alexander reveals the multiple layers of violence both within and outside of the prison, with the text implying that the problem of violence is widespread, systematic, and deeply harmful to society at large. The prison population consists largely of men convicted of violent crimes, including murder, assault, and armed robbery. While violence between the inmates is rare, conversations among the prisoners frequently reference violent acts, reminding Alexander that many of the men have histories shaped by brutality. Violence therefore exists in the prison principally as shared memory and reputation. The prisoners’ familiarity with violent experiences contributes to the hardened emotional atmosphere of the barracks. For Alexander, these encounters gradually alter his perception of criminality. He begins to see that the men around him cannot be reduced solely to their crimes, yet their past violence remains an inescapable part of their identity as well as his own.

The story of Shishkov in the hospital serves as a microcosm of the wider problem of violence against women, speaking to the way abuse and oppression can function even in the seemingly respectable environment of ordinary Russian society. Shishkov’s wife endures harassment and slander from a man who spreads false rumors about sleeping with her, which in turn leads to her being violently abused by her own family, who blame her for the “disgrace.” When the man publicly clears her name, the woman’s gratitude inflames Shishkov’s jealousy, and he murders her and leaves her to die unattended. The man listening to his story does not respond with any outrage or emotion but instead calmly responds by detailing his domestic violence against his own wife. Alexander, eavesdropping on the conversation, is also serving time in prison for having murdered his wife. This scene captures how this form of misogynistic violence is prevalent at every level of Tsarist Russian society, from the lower classes up into the nobility, revealing how certain forms of violence can become normalized.

The prison authorities also mete out extreme violence in their attempts to punish and control the prisoners. Alexander recounts routine floggings and the punishment of “running the gauntlet,” in which a prisoner can be brutally struck hundreds or even thousands of times. He mentions several prisoners who die in the midst of such punishment, with even those who do survive sustaining severe injuries. This juxtaposition of the authorities’ extreme, legalized violence against the criminal violence of the prisoners creates a highly important parallel between the two, with Alexander’s account suggesting that such brutality does nothing to reform the prisoners, while also implying that the problem of violence is not just the result of individual morality but of cruel and misguided government policy.