In the third chapter, I got the answer to one of the many questions I had throughout the first and second chapters: how did Raskolnikov develop such a large ego and pride? The answer- his family. The incredulous devotion of his mother and sister, who are strangely willing to make huge sacrifices for him without hesitation, can definitely be considered some of the larger influences on his personality.
The way in which he reacts to the news of Dunya's engagement further exemplifies how egotistical he really is. If he were a part of my family, his self-absorption would be extremely old by now- how his sister and mother put up with him is beyond me. When he determines that he will not allow his sister to sacrifice herself for his sake- how sweet and caring of him, right?- it further shows how he does not even take Dunya's wishes into consideration and believes his opinion to be the only important one.
The personality of his mother comes through clearly in her letter. It is obvious that, like any good mother, she cares for her son and would go to any length to see him happy, including supporting Dunya's self-sacrifice for his benefit. I enjoyed reading the letter mainly due to the colorful language and description his mother uses when writing it; her character really shines through.
I think Dostoevsky uses Pulcheria’s letter as a means of providing us readers with a ton of background information on these two supporting characters (and Luzhin) so that when Raskolnikov interacts with them in the future we have a deeper understanding of them right off the bat.
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