Chapter 9“Listen, Maksim Maksimych,” said Pechorin. “Mine is an unfortunate disposition; whether it is the result of my upbringing or whether it is innate – I know not. I only know this, that if I am the cause of unhappiness in others I myself am no less unhappy. Of course, that is a poor consolation to them – only the fact remains that such is the case. In my early youth, from the moment I ceased to be under the guardianship of my relations, I began madly to enjoy all the pleasures which money could buy – and, of course, such pleasures became irksome to me. Then I launched out into the world of fashion – and that, too, soon palled upon me. I fell in love with fashionable beauties and was loved by them, but my imagination and egoism alone were aroused; my heart remained empty... I began to
