The moral development of Father Sergius

The moral development of Father Sergius takes place in a society filled with a range of stereotypes, from the highest members to the lowest. The main character is, initially, the stereotype of an ambitious young soldier who has caught the eye of the emperor, whom young Stepan Kasatsky adores for his royal trappings.

These include a military overcoat, brisk step, and "sonorous voice." His fiancée is a typical young beauty, "the personification of innocence and love." The abbot of the monastery he joins is a "gentleman by birth, a learned writer" who belongs to "a succession of monks," one in a long line.