When a new office mate joins his work, he decides to follow the crowd and tease Akaky. .
Once a young man who was new to the office started to tease him, following the crowd. Suddenly he stopped as if awakened from a trance and, after that, he couldnt stand the others, whom at first he had deemed decent people Later in life, he often shuddered, musing about the wickedness of man toward man and all the cruelty and vulgarity of which are concealed under refined manners. And this, he decided, was also true of men who were considered upright and honorable (924). When the young man realized what he was doing, he stopped while the other kept going. It was as though his humanity woke up and made him stop. The young man realized how cruel the upper class were and showed compassion towards Akaky by not participating in teasing him. .
When Akaky realizes that hes in need of a new coat, he goes to Petrovich. At least for a month he looked in on Petrovich to discuss the overcoat (929). For a month, Akaky went to Petrovich to find the correct price. Petrovich did not fail to take advantage of the occasion to remark that it was only because he did without a signboard, lived in a small side street, and had known Akaky Akakievich for a long time that he had charged him so little (930).
Petrovich knows Akakys place in society, because he only charged him twelve rubles for the new coat. Petrovich shows his compassion towards Akaky by lowering the price for him and helping Akaky pick out the right materials needed for the coat. When Akaky gets the new coat, he go work and his office mates tease him, again. .
He smiled at first, but then the congratulations became too exuberant, and he felt embarrassed. And when they surrounded him and started trying to persuade him that the very least he could do was to invite them over one evening to drink to the coat (930).
Because of Akakys status in society, his office mates make fun of him when they see the new coat.
Martha Hale, wife of the man who discovered Mr. Wright's death, along with Mrs. Peters, the wife of the local sheriff, are key characters to this story. Running parallel to each other throughout the story, they are central to the story line, and they alone allow the story to develop. Although the t...