In Nikolai Gogol’s “Diary of a Madman,” the middling civil servant Aksenty Ivanovich Poprishchin gradually loses his sanity, resulting in his imprisonment at an asylum. Aksenty often compares his social rank to that of the people around him. Some of the most prominent themes in Gogol's "Diary of a Madman" are insanity, writing and government bureaucracy. Diary of a Madman explores the restrictive social classes in St. Petersburg, Russia. Aksenty is proud of his position and considers himself equal to the other titular councilors he works with, though he does not like his coworkers. Some of the most prominent themes in Gogol's "Diary of a Madman" are insanity, writing and government bureaucracy. Poprishchin himself is technically nobility, but his is not of the hereditary kind, so it doesn't count for much. The Diary of a Madman Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. "The Diary of a Madman" takes place in the capital of the Russian Empire of the 19th century, also known as the capital of rank-obsession, where your social standing relative to the nobility more or less determined your fate. " Diary of a Madman " is one of the most profound works of Gogol, in which in the lyric form the history of mental illness is revealed. Poprishchin’s insanity is exacerbated by his fixation on social class and status  he spends much of the story resenting his peers for their positions in society. Corrupt bureaucracy and militarism marked this time period in Russian history, with Nicholas I relying on military men to circumvent the normal administration of a kingdom. What are the major themes of "Diary of a Madman"? Historical Context of The Diary of a Madman “Diary of a Madman” was written in 1835, during the reign of the autocratic tsar Nicholas I.