Böse Geister by Dostojewskij F.

Set in a provincial Russian town, the novel follows the rise of a secretive circle of radicals whose ideological fervor and manipulations—driven by cunning leaders and tormented personalities—inflame personal rivalries, betrayals, and violence. Through a cast of conflicted characters, it exposes the emptiness and destructive consequences of nihilism and political fanaticism, showing how abstract doctrines translate into moral collapse, social chaos, and human tragedy.