The Lower Depths

A wealthy baron loses his fortune to gambling and contemplates suicide. He discovers his gun is missing and confronts Pépel, who plans to rob him. In a surprising turn, they share a drink, the tension dissolves, and the two men become friends. The baron even allows Pépel to leave with a bronze sculpture.

Creditors seize the baron's furnishings, stripping the house of comforts and memories. The baron's pride is damaged as his former status dissolves into pawned goods and empty rooms. The humiliation marks the final collapse of his old life.

The baron tells his servant Félix that he hopes all that Félix has stolen might cover his unpaid wages. Félix agrees with this desperate plan, recognizing the extent of the baron's desperation. The exchange shows how debt erodes trust and dignity.

Pépel is arrested for stealing the bronze. The baron arrives and identifies Pépel as a 'dear friend,' softening the police's stance and complicating the arrest. The moment exposes the odd bond that has grown between master and thief.

The scene shifts to the slums, where men argue over cards and life at the bottom. They mock a woman who reads romances, and each resident is painted as a vivid, rough portrait. The environment establishes the grim ordinary world that frames subsequent events.

The baron moves into the slums as a lodger, and Pépel sets him up with a bed. The baron quickly returns to the social habit of playing cards, joining the local game. The unlikely lodger continues to linger on the edge of the community.

The police inspector meets with the slum landlord Kostylev and fixes his eyes on Kostylev's wife Natasha. Pépel confides in Vassilissa, regretting he never loved her; she urges him to kill her husband, the cruel landlord. The scene foreshadows the violence simmering beneath the surface.

A mourning scene unfolds as a woman dies, and neighbors make fatalistic comments about life in the depths. Jealousy threads through crowded relationships, sharpening resentments. Natasha's entanglements with the inspector and Pépel become the center of suspicion.

Vassilissa persuades Natasha to consider a better life by serving tea to the inspector during an inspection. The inspector invites Natasha on a date and promises improvement, making her cry at the prospect. Natasha weighs leaving with him against the life she already shares.

Pépel and Natasha discuss life by the river bank; Pépel believes Natasha leaving with him could save him from prison one day, like his father. They confess their love, choosing each other over the perilous options around them. Their bond becomes a fragile beacon in a society built on desperation.

The inspector and Natasha dine indoors while others outside enjoy a band. Natasha resists the inspector's advances, and Pépel is pressured by Vassilissa's moralizing. The tension deepens the conflict between aspiration and safety.

Kostylev and Vassilissa insist Natasha make up with the inspector; a violent fight erupts as lodgers take sides. Kostylev is killed in the melee, and no one clearly claims responsibility. The gathering crowd mutters that the 'lower depths killed him' as the police arrive to arrest Pépel for the upheaval, with the baron offering a muted defense of everyone involved.

In the epilogue, Vassilissa leaves the slum, Natasha helps Pépel return from prison, and the enigmatic 'actor' dies by suicide. Natasha and Pépel head off on the road with only a few possessions, seeking a freer life. The ending hints at fragile hope beyond the Lower Depths.