Book 3 Chapter 14 Conversations in Prison

Expecting to have a private talk with Katusha, as usual, after
tea, Nekhludoff sat by the side of Kryltzoff, conversing with
him. Among other things he told him the story of Makar's crime
and about his request to him. Kryltzoff listened attentively,
gazing at Nekhludoff with glistening eyes.

"Yes," said Kryltzoff suddenly, "I often think that here we are
going side by side with them, and who are they? The same for
whose sake we are going, and yet we not only do not know them,
but do not even wish to know them. And they, even worse than
that, they hate us and look upon us as enemies. This is
terrible."

"There is nothing terrible about it," broke in Novodvoroff. "The
masses always worship power only. The government is in power, and
they worship it and hate us. To-morrow we shall have the power,
and they will worship us," he said with his grating voice. At
that moment a volley of abuse and the rattle of chains sounded
from behind the wall, something was heard thumping against it and
screaming and shrieking, some one was being beaten, and some one
was calling out, "Murder! help!"

"Hear them, the beasts! What intercourse can there be between us
and such as them?" quietly remarked Novodvoroff.

"You call them beasts, and Nekhludoff was just telling me about
such an action!" irritably retorted Kryltzoff, and went on to say
how Makar was risking his life to save a fellow-villager. "That
is not the action of a beast, it is heroism."