Pozvonochnikov (district marshal of the nobility)

The district marshal of the nobility who, more anxious for appearances and propriety than for medical necessity, decrees that Gryaznov and Lampadkin must travel to Paris for treatment by Pasteur, sets the send-off in motion, and has his wife supply the travelers with letters of introduction and two hundred roubles. His surname derives from "позвоночник" (spine).