During Porfiry's pressure on Raskolnikov, the painter Nikolay bursts in and confesses to the murders. The interruption saves Raskolnikov for the moment, but it also proves that confession can arise from motives stranger than simple factual guilt.
Part VI, Chapter II
Porfiry explains Nikolay's confession as a religious desire to take on suffering, not as the truth of the murder.
Epilogue
The false confession complicates the investigation and trial, showing how badly the case resists clean official order.
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