The father of Dmitry, Ivan, Alyosha, and probably Smerdyakov. Lustful, vulgar, lying, coarse, and without caring about who he hurts, he is extremely selfish and cares only about his own desires. He is more afraid of Ivan than Dmitry, but he likes Alyosha, even though he likes to tease and scare him. He does not care much about his sons or his wives. Joyce Carol Oates describes him as "...a certain perverse (strange) blend (mix) of the and the spiritual, a brilliant comic creation who cannot sit down to drink without questioning the meaning of life." However, together with his lustfulness, there is a surprising simpleness in him: