There is no more fascinating detective novel in the world than Crime and Punishment. Raskolnikov is a criminal, his motives and arguments that serve to justify himself precede the scene of the murder, they are brilliantly described by Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky, and there is no mystery in this matter.
The situation (at first glance) is simple: a young man in serious financial difficulty wants to end poverty by killing a creature that is completely insignificant from his point of view. After this step, Nikolai thinks that opportunities for growth will open before him, and, most likely, he will be able to bring great benefit to humanity.
The mystery is not who killed, it consists in the question of why Raskolnikov made a confession. The whole novel is about that. The great writer does not give a direct and unambiguous answer, which allows the reader to reflect on this topic himself.
So, the murder happened and the investigation begins. The main character, like any living person, is connected with the people around him by a variety of relationships. His friend Razumikhin always strives to help, his sister goes to St. Petersburg in the hope of a successful marriage in the material aspect, taking her mother with her. Luzhin, Dunin's fiancé, is a kind of personification of Raskolnikov’s idea of two kinds of people, though completely cleared of conscience. He worships the only god - money. The aversion to this polished dandy of his bride’s brother does not seem completely understandable, because both of them consider themselves those who have the right to decide everything for others. However, it is precisely it that partially answers the question of why Raskolnikov made a confession.
According to Dostoevsky, people are really divided into two categories, but on a completely different basis. There are those who are kind to others and seek to help them, and others who live only for themselves.
In Lebezyatnikov, the reader can see the prototype of a kind of "progressive" who seeks to "crush the foundations." In this sense, it intersects with the characters of another novel, “Demons,” in which F.M. Dostoevsky describes the formation of social democracy in Russia. The communes, the abolition of the institution of marriage - this is how Lebezyatnikov sees the future.
And Sonya, the kindest and noblest creature, is forced to trade her body in order to support her father, a drunkard, whom she loves immensely, despite his vices. She is the exact opposite of Luzhin, and, it seems, the main character, too.
Raskolnikov after the murder behaves strangely, which causes suspicion from the investigator, Porfiry Petrovich. That’s where the sophisticated trick, however, aimed at a good deed, the exposure of the criminal. The most important, and, of course, the pretty quality of Porfiry is his peculiar frankness. It seems that he immediately understood who killed the old interest-bearing woman, and, talking about a butterfly flying on a candle, a smart investigator does not hide who he means. The killer also understands this, but he can’t do anything with himself, he is simply drawn to speak out, in these conversations he subconsciously seeks justification for his monstrous crime. Having destroyed or hiding all material evidence, he commits a number of suspicious acts and says many ill-conceived words, confirming Porfiry’s opinion that it is possible to lie unmatched, but to calculate nature, nevertheless, is completely impossible. The investigator exerts psychological pressure on the suspect , and it is quite logical to assume: that is why Raskolnikov made a confession.
But here, not everything is so simple. Even knowing who the criminal is, the investigator in those days could not bring him to justice without a sufficient evidence base. To avoid punishment, at least legal, Nikolai could simply stop communicating with Porfiry. And do not admit anything. Who persuaded him to surrender? Not an investigator, although he strongly advised doing so. Sonya Marmeladova persuaded the killer to bring on himself!
Nikolay was so tormented by the impossibility of leading a normal life for him, and was so tired all the time dodging that his very existence was filled with unbearable torment. And the point is not repentance at all, he was not there, just the killer heeded the arguments of his beloved woman. That is why Raskolnikov made a confession.