The narrator laments how “love’s high art” (4.7.6) turns people cold and manipulative. Onegin has long been skilled in such games, but he has grown to despise the way love works. Despite this, he can admit to himself that Tatyana’s letter has “profoundly stirred” (4.11.2) him. Meeting Tatyana on the garden path, Onegin releases his pent-up frustrations. He rejects her advances, dismissing the young woman as naive. He rejects the entire institution of marriage, claiming that it is unpleasant, restrictive, and dull. Though he does admire Tatyana, he believes that he is “not worthy” (4.14.4) of her. Tatyana is deeply upset. She becomes “wan and sickly” (4.24.3).

In contrast, Lensky is deeply in love with Olga. He writes poems for her, writing them out in her album. Such albums, the narrator explains, are just another social convention that seems disingenuous to most people. Lensky’s proclamations are sincere as “his pen breathes love” (4.31.3). However, Olga never reads his love poems. Onegin returns to his estate and lapses into an idle lifestyle. The snow falls outside, making the world even colder and more “somber” (4.40.13). Lensky breaks Onegin’s boredom by visiting one evening. As they drink together, Lensky invites Onegin to “Tatyana’s name day celebration” (4.