In the story "The Village of Stepanchikovo" Dostoevsky considers a problem of the power which is carried out by means of words substituting life. In understanding of this problem Dostoevsky follows Shakespeare. The tragedy of the king Lyre consists in that he as well as all people trusts more false words about feelings, than the live feeling which has been not expressed in a word. Foma Opiskin, Dostoevsky's main character of the story, uses this propensity of usual people in the purposes and establishes the power over them skillfully substituting life and live feelings for false words. By means of the character Dostoevsky has expressed the critical attitude to Gogol which in the "Selected Passages from Correspondence with his Friends" has changed to the mission to represent original life and has tried to win an regard of readers by means of a false word.