Have we lost our way, what are we to do? The devil pulls us here and there, directing us in every direction. With these lines from Pushkin, and a passage from the Gospel of Luke about demons entering swine, Dostoevsky opens his novel titled 'Demons'. These demons are those who struggle over Russia, not for it. In 1871, Dostoevsky published the first part of this novel during a time of divisions and competing ideas, where socialism grew and thoughts of liberation from church authority took root, and the state's power appeared weaker, with Russia seeing itself as lesser compared to Germany and the rest of Europe.

Through carefully chosen characters from Russian society, many based on real figures, Dostoevsky provides a picture of Russian society, the wide discussions about new ideas, and the desire to see Russia among the most civilized nations. Discussions about literary issues, religion and faith, good and evil, aristocracy, democracy, freedom of thought, and the conflict between science and religion form the background upon which Dostoevsky builds his characters.