11 The Brothers Karamazov
cynicism was all that remained. On the spiritual side he was
undeveloped, while his vitality was excessive. He saw noth-
ing in life but sensual pleasure, and he brought his children
up to be the same. He had no feelings for his duties as a fa-
ther. He ridiculed those duties. He left his little children to
the servants, and was glad to be rid of them, forgot about
them completely. The old man’s maxim was Apres moi le
deluge.* He was an example of everything that is opposed
to civic duty, of the most complete and malignant individ-
ualism. ‘The world may burn for aught I care, so long as I
am all right,’ and he was all right; he was content, he was
eager to go on living in the same way for another twenty or
thirty years. He swindled his own son and spent his money,
his maternal inheritance, on trying to get his mistress from
him. No, I don’t intend to leave the prisoner’s defence al-
together to my talented colleague from Petersburg. I will
speak the truth myself, I can well understand what resent-
ment he had heaped up in his son’s heart against him.
- After me, the deluge.
‘But enough, enough of that unhappy old man; he has
paid the penalty. Let us remember, however, that he was a
father, and one of the typical fathers of to-day. Am I un-
just, indeed, in saying that he is typical of many modern
fathers? Alas! many of them only differ in not openly pro-
fessing such cynicism, for they are better educated, more
cultured, but their philosophy is essentially the same as his.
Perhaps I am a pessimist, but you have agreed to forgive me.
Let us agree beforehand, you need not believe me, but let me
speak. Let me say what I have to say, and remember some-