Annotation

N.V. Gogol’s work “Dead Souls” illustrates an example of fraud involving abuse of rights and trust. The article attempts to conduct a theoretical and legal analysis of fraud in this work. The role of trust in the implementation of criminal schemes is examined. The factors that shaped the trust of officials and landowners in Chichikov are identified, as well as the reasons for the failure to implement the main character’s scheme. Attention is drawn to the aspects reflected in the work that are significant in the context of ensuring the effective operation of the law.