In Gogol’s short story “Diary of a Madman,” one of the most prominent themes is that of isolation and social alienation which contributes to Poprishchin’s descent into madness. From an early introduction to Poprishchin we can sense he is self conscious to a degree that drives him to hide from society; he comments on his dirty and out of fashion coat and attempts to hide in public in the folds of this coat (159). He evidently struggles with social interactions and love, as he overthinks and acts awkwardly in a simple interaction of picking up Sophie’s handkerchief. Throughout the story, Poprishchin scarcely speaks and interacts  with other people and isolates himself in his own increasingly paranoid and crazed internal monologue. Much of this avoidance of interaction is driven by his evident disdain for other people; Poprishchin judges and dislikes other people, such as the footman, upon minimal interaction (162). As Poprishchin’s madness increases, his disdain for others, anger at society, and drive toward self alienation heightens. Not only does he avoid interaction but he further alienates himself through confrontational and aggressive encounters with the section head and disappointing encounters with Sophie, who dislikes him and rebuffs his romantic advances. These failed social interactions cause Poprishchin to receive criticism and judgement, both of which greatly hurt his self image and cause him to hate those who criticize him. His relations with others get so strained to the point that the section head pretends not to see Poprishchin, exacerbating his social distance from his peers (163). The self perpetuated cycle of Poprishchin’s hatred for society and his subsequent alienation highlight his destructive perspective of the world and other people that is a cause for his madness. 

Ultimately, the theme of social alienation is mirrored by Poprishchin’s physical isolation and reality of being committed in an insane asylum. The physical torment and isolation that Poprishchin experiences in the asylum is a disturbing representation of the emotional alienation that Poprishchin experiences. Throughout his descent into madness, it is made evident that Poprishchin is stuck inside his own head, unable to fully interact with others, and his own internal mental torment causes him to lash out on others further perpetuating this societal distance and his own emotional discontent. While there is some degree of pity one may feel for Poprishchin’s loneliness and abusive treatment, his hatred and contempt for the world around him ultimately makes his character deeply flawed.