The Idiot is the remarkable literary feat; the true accomplishment. It not only shows and represents true human complexity, but it births it, both in the inner workings of its passionate characters, and in the overall story. Prince Myshkin returns to St. Petersburg from Switzerland. "The Beautiful Man" has too much compassion, for this cynical age. He believes every person, trusts all, feels the pain, of the suffering unfortunates, thus has no common sense. Who is he? Simple? Gullible? An Idiot? Or a Saint? Dostoevsky supplies a harsh indictment of the Russian ruling class of his day who have created a world which cannot accomodate the goodness of this “idiot”.
