Svidrigailov is a consummate artist in the ways of seduction, and he horrifies Raskolnikov with his descriptions. The modern reader must realize that in the latter part of the nineteenth century all of Europe had a period of great prudery and restraint. For a person to talk as Svidrigailov did, even though today it seems harmless, was a horrible shocking matter. To discuss Dunya in sexual terms to the brother is an indescribable violation of decency. For Svidrigailov to regale himself in these vividly realized scenes characterizes him as an exceptionally vulgar person. And yet, in the final analysis, how can a murderer find a horrible fault in a sensualist?
Even though Raskolnikov cannot yet see what draws him to Svidrigailov, he is finally able to see what it is in Svidrigailov that disgusts him and sets him apart — it is his vile sensuality that makes him so vulgar and depraved.
