The Lower Depths

The events take place in a period of rapid urban migration and social stratification in a Russian city, just before or around the turn of the century. Wealth returns as a baron loses everything to gambling, and the lower depths fight for dignity amid poverty. The era's informal justice and smoky, crowded spaces shape the community's mood and actions.

The setting centers on crowded, decaying slums along a river in a large Russian city. Makeshift dwellings, street life and communal spaces fill the quarters where the baron lodges and neighbors clash over money, pride and survival. The neighborhood is tight-knit yet brutal, filled with card games, gossip, and volatile tempers that flare into violence.

💰 Class Divide

Wealth and poverty sit side by side as the baron's bankruptcy drives him from opulence into the slums. The film contrasts creditors, landowners, and beguiled residents, using intimate vignettes to show how social status dictates access to safety, shelter, and respect. The interactions reveal how the lower depths navigate power, aspiration, and humiliation.

🤝 Solidarity

Despite rivalry and danger, the slum inhabitants form fragile bonds that help each other survive. Pépel's alliance with the baron and the lodgers' collective defense during the landlord’s assault illustrate a communal instinct to resist exploitation. The characters’ complicity and care for Natasha highlight the human need for connection in hardship.

🕯️ Morality

Moral lines blur as crime, loyalty, and love intersect. The baron defends a thief, the inspector pursues justice, and Natasha chooses between safety and affection, while the neighborhood celebrates or condemns acts in morally ambiguous ways. The ending underscores a grim view of justice, where guilt lingers and “the lower depths” bear responsibility collectively.