Dr. Zossimov appears to check up on his patient's progress. Razumihkin is eager to know if Raskolnikov can attend a function he is having that night for his old uncle from the provinces. Also Zametov, the chief clerk, will be there along with Porfiry Petrovitch, the examining magistrate and "a graduate of the College of Jurisprudence."
As Zossimov and Razumihkin talk of the arrest of two painters for the murder of Alyona and Lizaveta Ivanovna, unlike his usual lethargic self, Raskolnikov is intensely interested in this discussion. Razumihkin is very firm in his stand that the painters could not have committed the crime and makes an elaborate defense of their innocence. Zossimov notices that the discussion excites Raskolnikov and thinks that this interest in the crime suggests that he is regaining an interest in life.
