The idea of "suffering" becomes uppermost at this point. It is as if Sonya has not suffered enough, Raskolnikov deliberately increases her suffering first by pointing out that Katerina and the children are now homeless. Then after he has seen the very depth of her suffering, he then prepares her for his confession of the murder.
By way of preparation for his confession, or more important, his assuaging his own guilt or complicity, he asks Sonya the hypothetical question of whether Luzhin or Katerina should live. Sonya bases her refusal to answer upon her reliance on Divine Providence: "How can I know the will of God?" Hence, she simply will not entertain such an idea.
After many attempts and thoughts of confession (at least ten times) Raskolnikov almost makes an open confession, but he cannot yet formulate his crime into words. He can only hint and then say "Take a good look." Now and all through this chapter, Sonya is aware that Raskolnikov is suffering tremendously and his suffering increases hers. She is aware that the suffering is a path to expiation and redemption.
After the confession, Sonya promises that she will follow him to Siberia. This is not just an idle promise; she takes part of Raskolnikov's suffering upon herself. As soon as Sonya mentions Siberia, Raskolnikov again attempts to explain, rationalize, or justify the murders. He rejects each attempt as soon as he offers it. As pointed out earlier, he was forced by circumstances to commit the murder before his theory was completely formulated. Now as he attempts to explain it, he realizes how incomplete it really was. This realization is seen in the fact that as soon as he offers a reason, he then rejects it with the words: "No, No, that wasn't it." This is repeated so often that it functions as a thematic motif throughout the scene.
