Character Analysis
Like many characters in Child 44, General Nesterov is a good dude stuck in a tough spot. Nesterov is a grizzled old war veteran, a man dedicated to his fellow soldiers—even if he takes a few liberties with regular citizens. Still, the fact that he actually helps Leo makes him a swell guy in our book.
First, let's give Nesterov credit for his accomplishments:
- He immediately classifies the death of Larisa Petrova as a murder—something his comrades in Moscow would scoff at. This is a brave move in a country where "social excesses" like murder are said to have gone extinct "as poverty and want disappeared" (2.3.9).
- Even when he does find a suspect, Nesterov is open to new facts. He doesn't argue with Leo after they find a second body, conceding that this one couldn't have been killed by Varlam Babinich.
- Most importantly, Nesterov puts himself and his family at risk to further Leo's investigation. That's a massive sacrifice in and of itself.
With that out of the way, let's look at the other side of the coin:
- In truth, Nesterov only classifies the death of Larisa Petrova as a murder because he has the perfect suspect—a mentally ill young man. That's because crimes committed by those "outside of Soviet society" (i.e., anyone who doesn't at all times toe the Party line) are considered "explainable" (3.19.44).
- Although he doesn't pin the second murder on Babinich, Nesterov doesn't clear him of the first one, either. That makes zero sense when you think about it, given that both murder scenes are identical.
- Nesterov does indeed help Leo find justice, but there are plenty of casualties along the way. Most notably, Nesterov's manhunt for local gay men—a desperate attempt to pin the crime on a class of socially undesirables—yields no leads and ends up merely "leaving a trail of destruction in [its] wake" (3.30.10).
As you can see, every positive action that Nesterov takes is laced with negative consequences. Leo was once like this, too, earnestly trying to do his best but failing in every way possible. Still, we'd argue that these experiences change Nesterov a great deal, showing him that great things can be accomplished if you're willing to try. That's a lesson that will serve him well.