Chichikov envisions his “dead souls” scam working as follows: once he has acquired a sufficient number of dead souls, Chichikov plans to mortgage these serfs (without informing his creditors that these souls are no longer living), and use the money thus gleaned to purchase “living souls.”  Though it is forbidden to buy or mortgage serfs without first owning land, Chichikov finds a way around this restriction by allegedly buying these souls for resettlement in the province of Kherson, where land is being given away as an encouragement to settle there. Though Chichikov would still have to pay taxes on his dead souls, one would assume that the benefits of mortgaging them would greatly outweigh the tax burden. In addition, during the next census, Chichikov could finally report these souls as dead, and perhaps gain some sort of compensation from the Russian government for suffering such a huge business loss. Meanwhile, Chichikov’s apparent wealth could also prove useful in attracting a suitable mate, preferably one of higher status than himself, in order to increase his prestige in Russian society. Though his scheme is risky, Chichikov believes himself to be clever enough to pull it off. If inquiries were to be made into his actions, Chichikov feels confident that finding a corrupt government official to verify the legality of his endeavors will be quite easy.

Related Links:
Dead Souls
Nikolay Gogol
The World of Nikolai Gogol