The article attempts to consider the transformation of a person's cultural code, how this code was represented in Soviet fiction. The comparative consideration material is taken from the works of Arkady Gaidar and Vladimir Makanin. The comparison shows a radical transformation of this code from the 1930s to the 1980s. In the first case, the main content of the consciousness of the «winners» in the Civil War was expressed and generalized. First of all - self-sacrifice and the immutability of the departure of generation after generation into a deadly confrontation with an aggressive enemy (the world of «cursed bourgeoisie») by internal danger, betrayal. In this semantic picture of the world, strict vigilance, dedication, and the ability to provide support are required from man. The goals of this struggle are associated with ideas about the «good life», where there is no deadly confrontation when «shells do not burst, machine guns do not crack», which is quite consistent with the eternal image of Russian happiness - «if only there was no war». Life appears as a test and feat, the reward for which the descendants will give. This is consciousness immediately preceding Stalinism. The enthusiasm, euphoria and heroism of this consciousness made up the potential that was used in the 1930-s (industrialization, development of new territories, social elevators, labor exploits) during the Great Patriotic War. Waves of repression, the tragedy of the war, the unlucky «thaw» and the subsequent reforms gave rise to the «winter consciousness» of the Soviet 1970-s and 1980-s described by V. Makanin - the era of economic and political stagnation, sprouting and maturing spiritual search. The difference between this consciousness and the consciousness of the «winners» is in deep reflection, understanding one's own futility, «hanging». Fussy activity is combined with no less convulsive failure. This unrootedness forces not only to rethink the present, but also to look for, grope for deep origins, connections, fixing in circles («swarms») companies in which «their» and «strangers» are clearly distinguished, and generating resentiment and intolerance. This is the consciousness of a sick society that has realized its illness and its source - injustice and lies. V. Makanin presents an accurate and convincing history of the phenomenology of a sick society, the epicrisis of which erupted into «perestroika» and the subsequent reforms.