Piskarev initially mistakes the street prostitute for a “very noble lady” (Gogol 251) by looking at the coat she is wearing. Piskarev's misconception about women is then revealed to be false by the setting. Upon entering the woman's house, Piskarev notices that “the rather pretty furniture was covered in dust; a spider spread its web on a molded cornice; in the half-open door of another room, a boot with spurs gleamed and the red piping of a uniform fluttered; a loud male voice and female laughter resounded without restraint” (Gogol 255). The setting indicates that Piskarev has entered a brothel, showing her that his conception of her as a noble lady is wrong. But Piskarev refuses to believe that the woman he followed is that kind of woman. He begins “to study more attentively the objects that filled the room; but the bare walls and curtainless windows showed no presence of a caring housewife” (Gogol 255). The setting, once again, shows Piskarev the reality of the house as a brothel, revealing the woman's true nature as a prostitute. The decor shows the realistic appearance of the