They were incredibly vain, but quite open in their vanity, as though they were performing a duty by the display of it.
Some (but by no means all) of them even turned up intoxicated, seeming, however, to detect in this a peculiar, only recently discovered, merit.
They were all strangely proud of something.

On every face was written that they had only just discovered some extremely important secret.

They abused one another, and took credit to themselves for it.

It was rather difficult to find out what they had written exactly, but among them there were critics, novelists, dramatists, satirists, and exposers of abuses.

Stepan Trofimovitch penetrated into their very highest circle from which the movement was directed.