The genius of this book lies in that it is neither a manifesto nor a story, it has both! The underground man discusses at great length the advantages and pitfalls of being intelligent, raising a '
blue pill-esque' problem. This book is like a set of instructions on how to 'not fit in' well (if that makes sense).
Interestingly enough, 'Notes from the Underground' is an inappropriate translation of the title, especially now with the
counter culture connotations that go with the word '
underground'. In Russian the word used refers to the crawl-space under the floor boards of a house; Dostoyevsky wanted to conjure the image of someone who was not part of society but at the same time was not apart from it, not someone who was part of a culture that rises in response to another one. Therefore, a more appropriate title would be 'Notes from the Crawlspace', but that makes no sense.