Aksenty Ivanovich Poprishchin, the so-called “madman” of the title, is a titular councilor, a minor civil servant position in Russia’s bureaucratic government, whose job appears to mostly consist of sharpening the quills of the departmental director. His opinion of himself is in stark contrast to his social position and the manner in which others view him. He can scarcely contain his rage when servants fail to show him the respect he thinks he deserves, and he identifies with the rich noblemen he sees on the street. In reality, Poprishchin is a low-ranking nobleman in society, who is viewed as having no importance.

At several points in the story, Poprishchin mentions that he has spent most of the given day in bed doing nothing. In place of real relationships, his interactions with others are mostly products of fantasy, none more so than the relationship he imagines between himself and the much younger and socially unattainable Sophie. After some evidence from the outside world provides him proof that he is not quite as important as he thinks he is, he always finds a reason to believe a comforting illusion instead, even at the expense of his mental state.