Throughout the novel, there is a suggestion that Raskolnikov is not mentally stable. His detachment from reality in many of the chapters characterize him as a possible schizophrenic while other chapters depict him as bipolar with his conflicting personalities and mood swings. In chapter four, he shows inappropriate behavior when he laughs to the police officer after finding the girl and then questioning why he had given 20 rubles to the policeman to ensure the girl gets home safely. These are two examples that give the reader the thought of his mental instability.
It was not surprising that Raskolnikov killed Alyona. The way he described Alyona in the first couple of chapters gave the suggestion that he wanted to do something to her that was not socially acceptable. Before actually committing the crime, he questions the morality of this horrific act, when he already knows it's not moral. He eventually tells himself that by killing her, he is doing something positive for the community since she is not liked and is greedy with her money. This also shows how unstable he is. The dreams of the crime and the actual murder make more sense after seeing his character develop in part one.
The title of the story, Crime and Punishment, foreshadows that a crime will happen and there will be consequences. It is my belief that Raskolnikov will not get away with murder and will have to live with the guilt he created when he killed Alyona.
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