The period is the beginning of the 19th century; those involved and discussed in this essay are mostly Russian nobles. The increasingly relaxed social mores in the “developed” world, including greater freedom to choose who to marry and increased sexual rights for women, were much rarer during the War and Peace period. Tolstoy, an outspoken critic of arranged marriages, uses the characters in his novel as a way to explore the various types of love and overall interactions between men and women of the time. This essay will attempt to focus on these relationships in an attempt to get a better idea of ​​Tolstoy's views on the appropriate roles that men and women should play as friends, lovers, or spouses. By exploring male/female relationships among noble families, a detailed picture of both expectations and areas of acceptable behavior will be established. Pierre Bezhukov, the illegitimate son and future heir to his father's enormous fortune, is not suited to Russian high society. Intelligent and honest, Pierre is one of the few people in the upper echelons of society who is genuine. As the main character, Pierre experiences one of the strongest character developments in the novel. Although his kind and respectable nature remains relatively unchanged throughout the story, Pierre is occasionally driven to fits of rage, one of which is actually directed at his first wife, Helene. The relationship shared by Pierre and Helene is best described as a lustful farce. It is no coincidence that Pierre, one of the most introspective characters in the novel, marries for the first time a superficial and internally ugly adulterer. His first recorded attitude towards Helene is one of admiration... middle of paper... is confused when he realizes he has feelings for Princess Marya, and instead of being conflicted about who to choose, he simply he wonders how he will explain the situation to Sonya without hurting her too much. This is an example of a more powerful love, the one that his "soul mate" Marya inspires in him. Nikolai almost easily manages to give up his lifelong "love" for his cousin in favor of this strange and "scary" woman, with whom his future is unimaginable simply because he does not know her character or quirks, but her his soul. When the two first meet under the right circumstances, each knows exactly what to say, and Nikolai felt that he did not need to say what he had prepared, but what "came to his mind immediately and always appropriately." It is with this comfort with Marya that Nikolai is able to successfully manage his estate later in the novel.