The very beginning of the third chapter of Part Two depicts the main character running into his old friend, Simonov. Two other people he knew from school are sitting with Simonov. Almost immediately, the main character begins to feel insecure in their presence. Dostoyevsky’s protagonist experiences a mini version of what we know today as a high school reunion. However, he is not only unnerved by the fact that they ignore him at first, but also by when they finally give him their attention. He is uncomfortable with their indifference and with their attention. When he initially goes unnoticed, it appears the main character thinks that he has done something wrong because he expected Simonov and the other two to greet him after them not having seen each other in years. When they ultimately turn their attention to him, he goes through all the possible awful and negative thoughts they might be thinking about him. The main character comes off almost as insulted when the group of friends doesn’t notice him. It seems strange and contradictory that when he is finally acknowledged that it just makes him even more insecure.
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