Before you stands R. Raskolnikov who cold-heartedly killed an innocent old lady with an axe. Now we have heard over and over the defense saying that the accused lived in great poverty and that his cruelsome act must be seen in this light. Furthermore it is repeatedly stated that his sister´s economical problems, that have forced her to accept marriage unwillingly, has furiated Raskolnikov and therefore has given him some sort of moral justification to murder the lady. This is preposterous! Does that mean that, if we suffer some injustice or economic hardship, we are justified to murder at random? No, we cannot. The world we live in may be cruel, but it doesn´t provide us with any moral grounds to act cruelly ourselves. This, members of the jury, is exactly what Raskolnikov has done in the most savagely way.
