Writing
Costly Amusement
Stavrogin's interest in Marya Lebyatkin began as amusement at her innocence. His silence after taking her home suggests something else, and the rumors are bold enough to mean some part of them is true.
Nikolai Stavrogin's relationship with the disabled, seemingly simple-minded Marya Lebyatkin is strange. How could they have met? Why would Stavrogin have been involved with her? Perhaps she was not lame before, and Stavrogin left after an accident that caused her to be disabled. The rumor seems incredible, and it seems as if the boldness of the lie means there must be some truth to it.
We learn that Stavrogin originally took an interest in Marya solely for his own amusement at her innocence and at the antics of her drunkard brother, Captain Lebyatkin. Stavrogin has some sort of a savior complex, and began providing funds to the Lebyatkins (although the brother predictably squandered the money on booze).
When directly confronted by his mother about whether Marya is his wife, Stavrogin neither confirms nor denies it. His silence after taking Marya home suggests a deeper, unspoken connection between them. Could it be that Stavrogin is a genuine guy, doing his best to make the life of at least one person less miserable? (Highly unlikely.)
The larger mystery arises from the stark contrasts between Marya and Stavrogin's known character. He is established as an aristocratic radical embracing subversive ideologies. Yet his treatment of the simple, disabled Marya seems a contradiction to all his other conduct.