The story of Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko "In a bad society" is often called another common name - "Children of the dungeon." But the first official name is worth talking a little more.
To begin with, the plot of the work unfolds in a small town called Prince-Veno. In this town, society is divided into several classes: below all, there are beggars living in an old decaying castle. But even this division does not end there. And among the poor there are two classes - “decent society” and “bad society”. The first are those who once had status and status in society, but became impoverished or lost privileges for some reason. Once below, they create another step out of a desire to rise at least above someone. And these people turned out to be the weakest - children, old people. They were sent to live in an old crumbling chapel.
However, the main character of the story is the boy Vasya, the son of a local judge, which means that he is not just a member of the highest, but of the highest class. Despite this, the boy makes friends with Valk and Marusya, who are members of the lowest class - from those living in the old chapel. They are the "children of the dungeon." If you think a little about this friendship, it becomes obvious that it is not only amazing, but even, to some extent, obvious. After all, the "children of the dungeon" are not at all spoiled, not bad, not corrupted. They are forced to steal in order to survive, so as not to die of hunger. Constant thefts do not become a heavy burden for them, they do not experience the pangs of conscience about this, but on the contrary, it becomes something mundane for them, because they are forced to do this, they have no choice. And even such a difficult fate does not make them evil, wild and reserved, this is evidenced by the very possibility of friendship between Valk and Vasya. Valyok is a thin and tall boy, smart beyond his years. He is forced to take care of his younger sister Marusa and therefore is almost always very serious. From the first minutes of his acquaintance, Vasya is imbued with respect for him and is always glad if Valyok is telling something interesting. Boys are the same age, but they are completely different at first sight. Valyok responsible and serious, Vasya is still a child in many ways. A “decent society” is not familiar with the feeling of regret. Without any torment of conscience, it drives weak and hungry children out into the street, leaving it to the mercy of fate. How can you calmly react to such a disgusting act?
In the story we also see the opposition of two parents - Pan Tyburtsky and the judge, Vasya's father. The first, in spite of extreme need and poverty, takes custody of two orphans. The main thing is that he sincerely loves these children, tries to make up for their lost childhood with at least this, despite the fact that they are not connected by any consanguinity. The second, the judge, lives in a rich house, a respected and fair person, ignores his own son only because he is a fidget, a tomboy and has little resemblance to his deceased mother. We see a clear contrast between the two behavioral lines, and it is not difficult to guess which of the described characters more deserves the right to call themselves “father”.
A story written by Vladimir Korolenko has many instructive meanings. One of them, like the first title, is closely related to the plot. But if you think a little, we will see the following picture: any person can be a “bad society”, regardless of the social class. Among judges, there are bad fathers, and among poor people there are good. Among thieves there are noble people, and among the righteous - hypocrites. And so with everything, and in everything, the author tells us. There are no ideal people who are sinless from among the "aristocrats" and evil criminals among the "poor." Mankind loves to socially stratify, however, people will always remain just people who are initially equal in relation to each other.
