How can there be any such thing as "An Honest Thief"? I know Astafy has stolen my coat so why can't he just admit it?
'An Honest Thief' tells the story of Astafy Ivanovich, who takes up lodging in the narrator's house. When the narrator's coat is stolen, Astafy recalls the story of a thief he once gave shelter to, and a similar theft. With a careful depiction of the thief's psychological and drunken state, and the situations that he finds himself in, Dostoevsky paints a realistic picture of the human condition. His characters are always torn between what their head thinks is right and what the heart dictates. A tragic story about friendship, regret, and forgiveness.