Piskarev initially deceives himself by mistaking the prostitute on the street for a “very noble lady” (Gogol 251) by looking at the coat she is wearing. Piskarev's misconception of woman is thus revealed to be false by the setting. Upon entering the woman's house, Piskarev notices that “the rather nice furniture was covered in dust; a spider spread its web on a molded cornice; in the half-open door of the other room a boot with spurs glittered and the red trim of a uniform fluttered; a strong male voice and female laughter rang out wildly” (Gogol 255). The setting indicates that Piskarev has entered a brothel, showing him that his conception of her as a noblewoman is false. But Piskarev refuses to believe that the woman he followed is that kind of woman. He began “to study more carefully the objects that filled the room; but the bare walls and uncurtained windows did not show the presence of a caring housewife” (Gogol 255). The setting, once again, shows Piskarev the reality of the house as a brothel, revealing the woman's true nature as a prostitute. The setting shows the realistic aspect of the