Section III begins with the group of creatures that once were men sitting around listening to the teacher read the newspaper. As he reads the newspaper they often get into arguments over various subjects based on the articles that the teacher reads. Here we learn more about Kuvalda’s view about merchants.

Gorky writes: “If someone has robbed the merchant, "That is good," says he. "Only it is a pity they robbed him of so little." If his horses have broken down, "It is sad that he is still alive." If the merchant has lost his suit in court, "It is a pity that the costs were not double the amount."

As they drink more vodka and continue to read the paper Kuvalda continues on his rant. "If I wrote for the papers," he shouts, "I would show up the merchant in his true colors . . . I would show that he is a beast, playing for a time the role of a man. I understand him! He is a rough boor, does not know the meaning of the words 'good taste,' has no notion of patriotism, and his knowledge is not worth five kopecks."

When one of the others notes that Kuvalda had his life ruined by a merchant Kuvalda replies:

"I? I was ruined by love of life . . . Fool that I was, I loved life, but the merchant spoils it, and I cannot bear it, simply for this reason, and not because I am a nobleman. But if you want to know the truth, I was once a man, though I was not noble. I care now for nothing and nobody . . . and all my life has been tame--a sweetheart who has jilted me--therefore I despise life, and am indifferent to it."

As the conversation continues the teacher makes a point. "But all the same, says the teacher, "merchants, so to speak, created Genoa, Venice, Holland--and all these were merchants, merchants from England, India, the Stroyanoff merchants. . . ."

"I do not speak of these men, I am thinking of Judas Petunikoff, who is one of them. . . ."

I am looking forward to when Gorky writes the backstory of Kuvalda and Petunikoff. There has to be something between them in the past. Based on the exchange at the start of this section I am inclined to think that the sweetheart that Kuvalda speaks of probably chose Petunikoff instead of him. So hopefully book gives us further insight into that relationship in the future.

As this conversation winds down Gorky writes: “Such conversations rejoiced the Captain's heart. They gave him an opportunity of speaking more, and therefore he thought himself better than the rest. However low he may fall, a man can never deny himself the delight of feeling cleverer, more powerful, or even better fed than his companions.”

Gorky has done a good job of analyzing human behavior throughout the first three sections of the book. In the above quote he succinctly describes the desire to judge and compare ourselves to others and the feelings of superiority and how that makes us feel. Kuvalda’s heart rejoiced because he knew he was better than the people he associated with. But it also shows us Kuvalda’s weakness. Instead of associating with his intellectual equals he surrounds himself with those who are inferior. Instead of trying to improve himself he settles for the easy. Instead of continually finding reasons for his heart to rejoice by trying to become a better person he settles for an occasional rejoice when he is punching down on those who are inferior to him. As such the rejoice in his heart can only be fleeting and when it is gone there must be an emptiness that replaces it because true joy cannot be built on joy over other peoples shortcomings.

Next Gorky outlines how the teacher has special privileges at the dosshouse. For instance the teacher can bring women to the dosshouse even though their presence is prohibited and no one is allowed to fight the teacher. This shows that Kuvalda needs to keep the teacher around. He is granted special privileges because Kuvalda Views him as a peer instead of one of his inferior tenants.

As the story progresses Gorky writes:

“On rainy, cold, or dull days in the late autumn, these "creatures that once were men" gathered in the eating-house of Vaviloff. They were well known there, where some feared them as thieves and rogues, and some looked upon them contemptuously as hard drinkers, although they respected them, thinking that they were clever.”

Gorky spends the rest of section III in the eating house. He recounts a conversation between the teacher and a townsman who beats his wife.

Overall I am still waiting for something to happen. It still feels like the story is building up to something. Perhaps in Section IV. Let me know your thoughts.