Character Analysis
After Anna Sergeyevna and Katya were orphaned, Anna Sergeyevna had to find someone to look after them. She called on her aunt, "a spiteful, arrogant old lady who came and installed herself in her niece's house" (15.5). Though the Princess looked after her nieces, it was clear that she was more concerned about benefiting from her sister's wealth.
When we meet her, she has become little more than a piece of furniture at Nikolskoye. After marrying Monsieur Odintsov, Anna Sergeyevna's dependence on her aunt was greatly reduced. Though her aunt stays with her and often voices her opinions loudly (she detests both Arkady and Bazarov), people show her respect mainly by ignoring her.
At the end of the novel, the narrator notes that the Princess was "forgotten the very day she died" (28.9).