Nikolai Vsevolodovich Stavrogin is the central figure in Devils. His return to the town sets the plot in motion, bringing about gossip, intrigue, and tragedy in equal measure. Despite other people’s fascination with Stavrogin, he is a man who is defined by his self-loathing. He cannot conceive of why men like Peter would be so interested in him, as he cannot recognize any redeeming or honorable traits in his character. Stavrogin is followed everywhere by gossip and not all of it is undeserved. He acts in a terrible manner on many occasions. In the censored chapter, he even admits to sexually abusing a young girl who died by suicide because of the trauma. Stavrogin destroys marriages, hurts people in an emotional and physical way, and refuses to change his behavior.

Each immoral action is an attempt to show the world his true self, only for the world to ignore the monstrous behavior. Peter, Varvara, and every other character are so quick to forgive Stavrogin that he is horrified. He is disgusted with a world that refuses to judge his actions; his repeated pattern of immorality is a cry for help, a feckless effort to show his true self to a world obsessed with aesthetics, status, and charm.