The Lower Depths: A Drama in Four Acts

by Maksim Gorky

"The Lower Depths: A Drama in Four Acts" by Maksim Gorky is a play written in 1902. Set in a squalid homeless shelter near the Volga, it portrays impoverished Russians clinging to illusions amid brutal reality. When a wandering pilgrim arrives offering hope and comforting lies, tensions escalate among the residents—including a young thief, a dying woman, and a jealous landlady. Their desperation erupts into violence, forcing each character to confront the harsh truths they've desperately avoided.