The novel is about gambling, though it may be viewed as an allegory of hazard that is life itself; a hazard that includes the struggle for survival, the precariousness of wealth, and the whims of love-existence itself. Although Alexey demonstrates that he is a winner, in the end he is shown to be a loser; that is, a man victim -not of his heart- but of his intellect, which harbors the eccentric theory that extreme humiliation may not only heal a broken heart, but also repair the soul. While the plotting Polina breaks his heart, his roulette addiction bankrupts him. The narrator, Alexei Ivanovich, bears a strong family resemblance to his cousins Roskalnikov, and the Underground man, whose quirky points of view disdain status, wealth, and self-importance, while favoring an affinity for nothingness.