The impact of prison on the poor people by Fyodor Dostoevsky, the double and the idiot Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky is perhaps one of the best known authors but least understood of the 19th century. His life was full of misfortune and suffering; his works were full of religious reflections and philosophical discussions. Dostoevsky's life experiences were integrated into the characters of his pieces, both in terms of personality and ideology. A particularly important turning point in his life was his arrest and incarceration at the age of twenty-seven, shortly after the beginning of his writing career. This prison sentence and period in exile served to shape his perceptions and beliefs towards life, which were later incorporated into his literary works. Dostoevsky entered the St. Petersburg Chief Engineering Academy in 1838, at the age of 17. After graduation, he served in the civil service, but gave up to pursue writing full time. 1846 saw the publication of his first books, Poor Folk and The Double. In Poor Folk, he explores some of the social issues of the day and the work has even been dubbed "socialist in character". During this time he joined forces with other young intellectuals and began attending meetings led by Petrashevsky. These young "social realists" met and discussed current political issues, especially the idea of ​​freeing the serfs. This question particularly interested Fyodor, who had been exposed to the cruelties of serfdom early in his life. He had a deep hatred for the institution of servitude, perhaps rooted in his guilt over his father's murder. Mikhail Andreevich was thought to have been murdered by his own servants during a particularly violent fit of rage towards them. Fyodor, although he was in no way associated with the death (he was attending school in St. Petersburg at the time), still felt guilty. Part of this may have been due to his incessant nagging for more money from his father during his later years. This group of idealists was influenced by the changing political status in Europe during the mid-nineteenth century. It was a time of new social awareness: new rights and freedoms were being fought for and won, governments were transforming, and a series of "socialist utopian" books were rapidly becoming popular. Dostoevsky had been an avid reader of authors such as Hugo, Sand, Sue and others in this field.