“Children of the Dungeon” (an abridged version of the story “In Bad Company”) by Vladimir Korolenko is a coming-of-age tale about friendship and compassion. The judge’s son Vasya meets the impoverished children, Valek and Marusya, who live in an old chapel, and learns to understand the unfairness of life—goodness, honesty, and care for loved ones—while overcoming the indifference of adults.