Natásha and Pierre were living in Petersburg at the time and had no clear idea of Nikoláy’s circumstances. Having borrowed money from his brother-in-law, Nikoláy tried to hide his wretched condition from him. His position was the more difficult because with his salary of twelve hundred rubles he had not only to keep himself, his mother, and Sónya, but had to shield his mother from knowledge of their poverty. The countess could not conceive of life without the luxurious conditions she had been used to from childhood and, unable to realize how hard it was for her son, kept demanding now a carriage (which they did not keep) to send for a friend, now some expensive article of food for herself, or wine for her son, or money to buy a present as a surprise for Natásha or Sónya, or for Nikoláy himself.

Sónya kept house, attended on her aunt, read to her, put up with her whims and secret ill-will, and helped Nikoláy to conceal their poverty from the old countess. Nikoláy felt himself irredeemably indebted to Sónya for all she was doing for his mother and greatly admired her patience and devotion, but tried to keep aloof from her.