Raskolnikov rattles his brain with numerous overwhelming thoughts of guilt, pride, and even arrogance. As he lies in his isolated room, the walls seem to hold all of his thoughts inward where he constantly retracts and contradicts every thought in his mind, providing him with a torturous and inexhaustible annoyance. On the very first page of his novel, Dostoevsky even states that Raskolnikov's living space "was more like a cupboard than a room" (1). This description can be perceived as a direct metaphor to Raskolnikov's state of mind after committing the murder - all of his thoughts stay muddled within his mind with no room for "fresh air"; however, this cramped room soon becomes one of Raskolnikov's greatest comforts. The dark and gloomy physical setting lays out the mood for Dostoevsky's novel, incorporating a feeling of utter desolation in the reader.
I could never live with such a cluttered state of mind nor could I live in a single room that only furthers the despair felt by its inhabitants; it is simply amazing how Raskolnikov can hold in his thoughts and guilt for the sake of his own pride. .
The suffering Raskolnikov undergoes within his chamber can directly relate to another theme in the novel presented by Sonia, a young woman forced to go into prostitution to support her family and her father's drinking habits. Once Raskolnikov can no longer endure his mental suffering, he confides in Sonia with all his secrets since he knows she has endured a similar type of moral suffering and ridicule. After Raskolnikov tells Sonia the details of his horrid crime, he asks what action he should take. Sonia tells him that he must "stand at the cross-roads, bow down, first kiss the earth which you have defiled and then bow down to all the world and say to all men aloud, "I am a murderer!" Then God will send you life again [ ] Suffer and expiate your sin by it, that's what you must do" (388, 389).