After two weeks, everyone except Pavel grew used to the two young men. Pavel, however, came to hate Bazarov "with all the strength of his soul." He regarded Bazarov as arrogant, insolent, and cynical, and suspected that "he all but had contempt for him." The only other person who did not like Bazarov was old Prokofitch who, as a servant, was "just as much an aristocrat as was Pavel."
Arkady and Bazarov often went on long walks and had arguments which Arkady usually lost, even though Bazarov said very little. One day, as they were returning from a walk, Nikolai overheard the two talking when Bazarov was saying that Nikolai is a ,'very good fellow ... but he's on the retired list, his song is sung." Bazarov mentions that Nikolai even reads the poet Pushkin.
Nikolai is so upset by this overheard conversation that he reports it to his brother Pavel. Actually, Nikolai has read constantly in an attempt to keep up with the new generation, and is somewhat disappointed that he is considered so out of date. Furthermore, one day when he was reading a Pushkin poem, his son Arkady came up and gently replaced the book with one by a German entitled Stoff und Kraft. Nikolai still remembers his German well enough to read it, but he cannot see any value in this book. Pavel decides that they must have a discussion with Bazarov.
