In an apartment in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Yakov Petrovich Golyadkin wakes. He is not able to tell whether he is awake or continuing his “chaotic daydreaming” (121). He examines himself in the mirror above his dressing table. He admires his reflection but wonders how he might react if he looked into the mirror and saw “some kind of unwanted pimple” (122). He checks the money in his pocketbook and then returns it carefully to his pocket. Golyadkin looks around for his manservant, Petrushka, annoyed that he is not immediately available. When Petrushka arrives, Golyadkin tells him to ready a carriage.

Golyadkin is in a good mood, which quickly changes when he looks through the carriage window and spots two men from his workplace. Despite his best efforts to stay hidden, the two clerks spot Golyadkin and call to him. Golyadkin avoids them, but when he looks through the carriage window, he sees the full face of Andrey Filippovich, the head of his department. Filippovich’s shocked expression worries Golyadkin, as he fears that he has angered his superior. Golyadkin tells the carriage driver to turn around and take him to visit his doctor.