Dostoevsky’s Underground Man is a failed Stoic. He sees life’s absurdity, its repetition, decay, and suffering—but instead of accepting it and acting with purpose, he recoils in bitterness. He even calls it immoral to live past 40, the age when illusions die and self-awareness becomes a burden. A Stoic would embrace this knowledge and move forward; the Underground Man lets it paralyze him. Be the fool: embrace life, act with purpose, and only worry about what you can control.
