“The Devil”, “Notes of a Madman”, “The Power of Darkness”... This collection includes works from different years, united by the complex theme of the struggle between good and evil in the human soul - a dramatic, sad theme that always attracted Tolstoy with its colossal psychological depth. Tolstoy categorically refused to publish the story “The Devil” and the story “Notes of a Madman” during his lifetime, since they were too closely connected with the writer’s difficult emotional experiences, which almost cost him his mental health.