The Lower Depths

Summary

The play "The Lower Depths" by Maxim Gorky unfolds in a flophouse for the destitute, where various outcasts of society gather. Each of them carries their own heavy fate and story. The owner of the flophouse, Mikhail Ivanovich Kostylev, treats the lodgers harshly. The play features different types of characters: an old satirist, a former aristocrat, an actor who lost his ability to work due to alcoholism, and others. The main conflict revolves around Luka, an old man who arrives at the flophouse and tries to instill hope and faith in a better future in the people there. He tells each person what they want to hear, promising illusory prospects and comfort. This elicits various reactions among the lodgers, from hope to aggression. By the end of the play, Luka leaves, forcing the characters to face the harsh reality. The play explores themes of illusion, despair, and the human capacity for self-deception.