What are we to make of the ending of this novella?
The Eternal Husband, a late work of Dostoevsky, alludes to an affair a decade earlier between Velchaninov and a married woman, the siren Natalia, and the subsequent relationship between the man and her husband, Pavel Pavlovich, who knowingly has brought along 'his' young daughter, Liza, almost certainly a product of the affair.
Every scene starts with Velchaninov, and none ends before he and Pavel Pavlovich interact. We tend to see the action though Velchaninov's eyes, but Pavel Pavlovich viewpoint is perhaps the more fascinating.
Towards the end, can we assume that Pavel Pavlovich, having returned Liza to her genetic father, is intending to murder the man who has cuckolded him? I assume that Velchaninov is right to bind and eject him for good. But both men seem to have an unhealthy fascination for each other, combined with a curious mix of shame, guilt and pride. Ultimately, their lives seem bizarrely twisted.