In Bad Company

"In Bad Company" is a story by the great Russian writer and public figure Vladimir Korolenko. The work is thematically connected with the novella "Children of the Underground". The lives of the inhabitants of the city’s lower depths are depicted with great sympathy.

The main character of the story is a boy named Vasya, the son of a city judge. The child grew up "like a wild little tree in the field": his mother died when his son was only six years old, and his father, absorbed in his grief, paid little attention to the boy. Vasya wandered around the city all day long, and the scenes of city life left a deep mark on his soul. In the old chapel, Vasya met two children from "bad company," Valek and Marusya. Vasya immediately felt sympathy for them and a desire to be friends. His new friends revealed the best traits of his character: the ability to be a friend, to sympathize, and to help others.