Chapter VII opens with Grigory Petrovitch Tsybukin sitting in quiet contemplation, no longer buoyed by the pride of his wealth. What once brought him respect and admiration now fills him with suspicion, particularly the money he counts each day, which he now fears may be counterfeit. This shift is not rooted in finance alone; it mirrors a growing sense that his life’s work, built through cunning and control, might have been hollow at its core. His grip on authority, once firm, now trembles beneath the weight of unresolved guilt and the quiet realization that legacy cannot be measured in rubles alone. Watching his grandson Nikifor play in the sunlight, Grigory sees not just a child, but a symbol of something untainted, something deserving of better. For the first time, the idea of ensuring the boy’s future brings him comfort—perhaps more than the shop ever did.

Moved by Varvara’s steady reasoning and the gnawing anxiety that his death could spark greed and chaos, Grigory chooses to take action. He decides to secure the estate of Butyokino in Nikifor’s name, legally and irrevocably. This decision, however, is not greeted with quiet gratitude—it ignites Aksinya’s fury. To her, it is not merely a matter of property, but a final insult in a long string of indignities endured in silence. She lashes out, her voice thick with rage and accusation, not just against Grigory, but against the very structure of the family. Her words pierce deeper than expected, drawing blood from truths long buried beneath reputation and routine. Her outcry, while emotional, carries a brutal clarity—she will no longer live as someone else’s shadow.

Aksinya’s accusations are sharp and calculated, revealing the hidden cracks in the Tsybukin family’s foundation. She speaks of fraud, cruelty, and manipulation not as if they are sins, but as normal business—acts wrapped in polite silence and buried under social standing. For the onlookers, including Varvara, the moment is a rude awakening. The house, long seen as a symbol of power and prosperity, feels smaller now—its walls echoing with truths no one wanted to face. Grigory, shaken, retreats inward. He no longer sees himself as a patriarch but as a man who has lost control of what he once believed he owned: his family’s respect. Even Varvara, often his anchor, stands still, her silence more telling than any defense.

In the aftermath, Grigory wanders through the house in silence, avoiding mirrors and shadows. His legacy, once wrapped in silver coin and nodding heads, has been stained by one moment of confrontation. But beneath the humiliation lies a quiet resolve. For the first time, Grigory considers that protecting Nikifor might be less about money and more about freeing him from the corrupt system that raised his own sons. He dreams of a cleaner path for the boy—an inheritance of conscience, not just land. There is a heaviness to his movements now, but also a strange sense of peace. Aksinya’s words may have cut him deeply, but they forced him to face the truth.

Throughout the village, whispers of the argument begin to spread. People talk not only of the decision about the land but of Aksinya’s bravery in speaking aloud what many suspected. In a community where silence often masks corruption, her defiance becomes a kind of legend. Some view her as ungrateful, others as courageous. What is clear, though, is that Grigory’s reputation will never be the same. The quiet unraveling of his authority reflects the broader decay of a moral code built on fear and favoritism. He must now decide whether to rebuild or withdraw entirely from a world that no longer responds to his commands.

The chapter ends not with resolution, but with reflection. Grigory looks out the window as the evening sets in, watching Nikifor chase shadows in the courtyard. The child laughs, unaware of the storms his future has stirred. Behind him, the house is no longer quiet but hollow, its silence speaking louder than before. Grigory knows now that true legacy is not measured by what you leave behind, but by how you are remembered—and who remembers you with kindness.