The best example of this is that its lead character, Rodion Romanovitch
Raskolnikov, is not a realistic villain, but an archetype- and really a symbol.
The sound of his name connotes his being a rascal or rapscallion, and in Russian
raskolnik even means to be divided, or
schismatic. His swings between guilt and mendacious evil are better seen as
devices serving the drama of the narrative than as any true portrait of a
sociopath- be it a modern serial killer, a gangster, or any other form.