Anna Karenina

In spite of Vronsky's "apparently frivolous life in society, he was a man who hated irregularity. In early youth in the Corps of Pages, he had experienced the humiliation of a refusal, when he had tried, being in difficulties, to borrow money, and since then he had never once put himself in the same position again." This early humiliation about money shaped him - he became rigorous about finances to avoid repeating that shame. "In order to keep his affairs in some sort of order, he used about five times a year (more or less frequently, according to circumstances) to shut himself up alone and put all his affairs into definite shape. This he used to call his day of reckoning or _faire la lessive_." The French phrase "_faire la lessive_" literally means "doing the wash/laundry" - he's cleaning up his financial affairs. "On waking up the day after the races, Vronsky put on a white linen coat, and without shaving or taking his bath, he distributed about the table moneys, bills, and letters, and set to work." He's so focused on this task that he skips his usual grooming. "Petritsky, who knew he was ill-tempered on such occasions, on waking up and seeing his comrade at the writing-table, quietly dressed and went out without getting in his way." Even his roommate knows to avoid him during these financial reckonings. The chapter details Vronsky categorizing his debts - there are debts of honor (gambling, tailor) that must be paid immediately, and other debts that can wait. His financial situation is serious. The solution: "One thing only could and ought to be done, and Vronsky determined upon it without an instant's hesitation: to borrow money from a money-lender, ten thousand roubles, a proceeding which presented no difficulty, to cut down his expenses generally, and to sell his race horses." This is significant - he's selling his beloved race horses. These aren't just hobbies; they're expensive passions he must sacrifice. "Resolving on this, he promptly wrote a note to Rolandak, who had more than once sent to him with offers to buy horses from him." He acts decisively once he's made the hard decision. "Then he sent for the Englishman and the money-lender, and divided what money he had according to the accounts he intended to pay. Having finished this business, he wrote a cold and cutting answer to his mother." The coldness toward his mother suggests tension over money or his relationship with Anna. Finally: "Then he took out of his notebook three notes of Anna's, read them again, burned them, and remembering their conversation on the previous day, he sank into meditation." He burns Anna's notes - perhaps for security, perhaps symbolically. The chapter ends with him meditating on their relationship. This chapter reveals the disciplined, serious man beneath Vronsky's frivolous social exterior, and shows the financial pressures mounting as his affair with Anna continues.