Through the entire work of Gogol "Dead Souls" a road runs as a connecting line of meaning. It unifies the plot. In the process of communication between Chichikov and the landowners, their shortcomings and vices are revealed.
Immediately, in the first chapter of the work, the main character meets the courteous landowner Manilov and the slightly awkward Sobakevich. Manilov receives the characteristics of a person who is neither young nor old, besides, his eyes are sweetish in appearance, reminiscent of sugar. On closer acquaintance with this hero in the second chapter, the character of this character was described by the author as follows: "... people are so-so, neither this nor that ...". At first glance - a pleasant person, and later, when communicating, you will feel "deadly boredom." Manilov is a person without any special hobbies, an owner who does not take care of his household and his house is not sufficiently equipped. If in a few words he is dreamy, but at the same time stupid.
Chichikov's next acquaintance took place in bad weather with a lady who introduced herself as Korobochka, a college secretary. The author characterizes her as a woman of middle age, she is wearing something on her head that resembles a cap, and even worn casually, and a flannel around her neck. She appears before us as one of many small landowners who constantly cry about a lean year, an unprofitable economy and always tilt their head a little to one side, but meanwhile they collect money in motley bags and put them on the drawers of dressers. And about the communication of Nastasya Petrovna, it is indicated that she can be intractable, and there was an impression of her as a person who is afraid to sell too cheap.
At a dinner with the police chief "he met the landowner Nozdrev, a man of about thirty, a broken-hearted fellow ...". Later in the next chapter, Chichikov meets this hero again. “He was of medium height, a very well-built fellow with full ruddy cheeks, teeth as white as snow, and jet-black sideburns. He was fresh as blood and milk; health seemed to sprinkle from his face. " Nozdryov is an active, reckless spender, a lover of lying.
Chichikov is adventurous, but gets to Sobakevich. "Bear!" Is how the main character appreciated him. "To complete the resemblance, the tailcoat he was wearing was completely bearish, the sleeves were long, the trousers were long, he stepped with his feet at random and sideways and stepped incessantly on other people's feet." Rude, tough and calculating person.
"Paid!" - this is how the peasant called the next landowner. The acquaintance of the protagonist with Plyushkin was strange. "For a long time he could not recognize what gender the figure was: a woman or a man." Not quite dull eyes yet, "running like mice in a burrow," a sharp chin. Greasy and it is not clear what material the clothes are made of. There was something tied around her neck, but definitely not a tie. The author described this, in fact, a rich man in great detail, he looked like a beggar. Plyushkin brings everything into the house, both what is needed and what is not.
Chichikov has common features with each of the landowners he met. He is as delicate as Manilov. He is inclined to hoarding like a Box. Our hero likes to have fun like Nozdryov. He is businesslike like Sobakevich and thrifty like Plyushkin.
