(319 words) The play “At the Bottom”, written by Gorky in 1902, depicts images of people who belong to warring groups of the population. The poor are falling lower and lower every day, and not always of their own free will. Due to the circumstances of their life, they fell into a rooming house run by their antipodes - those who make money from poverty. These "masters of life" often give the descent man the last kick, and he falls to the bottom.
The owners of the overnight stay are the old man Kostylev and his wife Vasilisa, they are not only the owners of the basement dungeons, but also the owners of the lives of their guests. Kostylev is a hypocritical man who profits from his tenants, knocking out the last penny from them, not knowing pity and compassion. His wife is a match for him: cruel, angry, not knowing mercy. In relation to the conversation with the poor, it immediately becomes clear what kind of a pair they are - profit-minded cops who are ready for anything to make capital. But if a callous businessman only pokes around with tenants and humiliates them, trying to subdue, then Vasilisa has no idea about human morality. The situation with Natasha proves this. The lady beats and oppresses her sister in every possible way, reproaching her with a piece of bread. Even at the station, she was able to get out and throw all the blame on others. It is people like her who are able to survive in different conditions and substitute anyone.
The morality of the masters of life is also doubtful. They are not burdened by poverty, they do not need to get bread at the cost of shame. But in abundance Vasilisa does not disdain connection with a thief, cheating on her husband. And the husband, being an old man, married a young girl, taking advantage of the fact that the lady was flattered by his money. This marriage of convenience was initially doomed to lie, betrayal and mutual hatred.
The social problem has not been resolved. Residents of the rooming house continued to sink further to the bottom. After the death of Kostylev, Vasilisa became the owner, and everything only worsened. Apparently, the fate of her lover who went to hard labor did not interest her either. The attitude of these heroes to life showed the very depth of their inhumanity, only at the bottom they can be masters, because they themselves are flesh from the flesh of this place, the abode of vice and poverty.
