Katerina's commission to Alyosha is the errand Katerina Ivanovna gives after Ivan leaves her drawing-room scene. She asks Alyosha to take two hundred roubles to Captain Snegiryov, whose public humiliation by Dmitri has reached her. The help is to be offered delicately as sympathy from Dmitri's betrothed, not as a payment from Dmitri himself.
IV-VI. A Laceration In The Cottage
The commission takes Alyosha to Lake Street and into the Snegiryovs' crowded cottage room. There he recognizes Ilusha as the schoolboy who bit his finger and sees the household the money is meant to help.
IV-VII. And In The Open Air
Alyosha offers the two hundred roubles in the open air, and the captain first imagines medicine, food, a servant, and a move to another town. Then his pride revolts and he tramples the notes into the sand, refusing to sell his honor.
V-I. The Engagement
Alyosha tells Lise that the refusal may make acceptance possible the next day. He thinks the captain has first had to prove his equality by throwing the money away.
X-V. By Ilusha’s Bedside
Alyosha's prediction has come true: the captain has taken Katerina's help, and she has continued assisting the family during Ilusha's illness. The commission becomes the start of sustained care rather than a single gift.
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