Saint Petersburg

I'm ready to argue for hours about what's right: the front door and the curb, not the driveway and the curb.

• Father-mentor: Alexander treats Denis with a mixture of horror and tenderness. He is shocked by his son's manner of dress and communication, but he understands that these are "growing pains."
• Attempts at education: Sasha constantly tries to take Denis to museums and theaters, hoping to “knock him out of his mind” and instill taste.
• Dependence: Denis is financially and territorially dependent on his father, which allows Alexander to keep him within certain limits.
• "Gopnik-gentleman": Alexander sees potential in his son. He likes that Denis, despite his tracksuits and morals, knows how to hold the door for a lady and "resolve problems" like a man.

An eternal rivalry: It's a love-hate relationship. Alexander considers Mikhail too loud, vulgar, and obsessed with money.
• Affection: Despite the constant teasing about "curbs" and "curbs," they are inextricably linked. Sasha may complain about Misha, but she won't let anyone hurt him.
• Jealousy: Secretly jealous of the capital's status, although publicly states that he is glad to get rid of this "fuss"

Conservative in matters of culture, but liberal in matters of self-expression (if it does not interfere with the city’s architecture).
• Believes that aesthetics will save the world, and politeness is the best weapon.

High-flown style: Uses literate, literary speech. Never stoops to swearing (except in extremely rare, exceptional cases, and does so very aesthetically).
• Address: He addresses most people as “You”, even if he doesn’t like the person.
• Subtle irony: He loves to tease his interlocutor so politely that he doesn’t immediately realize that he’s been insulted.

Smoking: Smokes thin ladies' cigarettes or classic Belomor (in moments of great stress, as a tribute to his Leningrad past).
• Rituals: Mandatory morning coffee and a walk along the embankments, regardless of the weather.
• Collecting: Collects rare editions of books and antiques.

After the collapse of the USSR, he often dabbled in illegal substances, but he gave them up long ago.

Reason: Born by the will of Peter the Great as a "window to Europe," he was raised in austerity and luxury from the very beginning.
• Capital status: For a long time it was the center of the Empire, which left an indelible mark on its manners.
• Tragedy: The hardest period was the siege of Leningrad. This left scars on his soul, which he hides behind politeness.
• Change of names: He remembers himself as both Petrograd and Leningrad, but considers his current name to be the only true return to his roots

Sometimes he can be arrogant, considering himself the “cultural capital” and others to be somewhat uneducated.

He demands perfect order in deeds and words. Any lack of taste causes him almost physical pain.

Sasha is the embodiment of intelligence taken to the extreme. He often finds himself in a state of mild melancholy.