Poor people, a novel written by one of the greatest Russian authors, Fyodor Dostoevsky, is the story of two second cousins, Varvara and Makar, who are brought together give them an unfortunate fate ("Poor people"). They write letters expressing mutual affection and describe events in their lives. Although they are cousins, Makar's perception of Varvara is more like a distant lover than a relative. They continue this relationship until Mr. Bykov, a wealthy widower, proposes marriage to Varvara, and she leaves Makar alone in his poor and desperate situation ("Poor People"). Although the Poor People conforms to the Hegel-influenced realist movement, Dostoevsky creates a new current in Realism. Furthermore, the novel is a representation of the tensions between optimism and pessimism in the lives of the characters and shows an important socio-humanistic impact. Through the faithful representation of the story and setting of Makar and Varvara, the novel conforms to the conventions of the realist movement. Dostoevsky, without any overreaction, describes Makar's living conditions. The old underwear hangs in the kitchen and since Makar's room is nearby “the smell bothers him a little” (McDuff 14). Furthermore, the realist influence is shown in Makar's true desperation when he loses Varvara to another man; Makar's pain and sadness are purely humanistic and are portrayed truthfully. In his desperation, Makar is ready to give his last money to buy her "furbelow" and begs her with all his might not to go "to the steppe with Mr. Bykov" (McDuff 129). Furthermore, romantic elements are also missing in the description of people's last moments. For example, there are no heroes who die, but ordinary people in the ordinary...... middle of paper......instead of rebelling against the landlady who oppresses them, Teresa and Faldoni fight among themselves, which is contrary to the idea of ​​the proletariat uniting against its masters. Additionally, middle class poverty is depicted through the death of Gorshkov's starving son and the poverty conditions his family lives in (McDuff 50). In conclusion, while Dostoevsky expresses his idea of ​​submission to authority, even if oppressive, he also demonstrates the poverty in Russia. Finally, Poor Folk is a unique example of the new current of realism created by Dostoevsky and the influence of Hegel's thought. dialectic. Optimism and pessimism, as a result of Hegel's influence, emerge constantly throughout the book, describing Dostoevsky's doctrine of patience and the poor living conditions in Russia at that time..