In his article "Christianity and Caesarism" (included in his book "В тихом омуте,"* 1908) Merezhkovsky quotes the saying не так страшен чёрт как его малюют ("the devil is not as terrible as he is painted") and mentions "the eagle tied in his cage."

Il y avait ce soir-là compagnie nombreuse au gasthof de l’Aigle à deux têtes; la société était la plus mélangée du monde, et le caprice de Callot et celui de Goya, réunis, n’auraient pu produire un plus bizarre amalgame de types caractéristiques. L’Aigle à deux têtes était une de ces bienheureuses caves célébrées par Hoffmann...

In "The Event" (Act One) Troshcheykin mentions his late mistress Margarita Gofman,*** a namesake of Marguerite Gautier (aka La dame aux camélias) and Faust's mistress in Goethe's tragedy. It was Margarita Semyonovna Gofman who told Revshin about Barbashin's attempt upon the lives of Troshcheykin and his wife. And it is Revshin who, "with a false air of a faithful dog,"**** brings Troshcheykin the news about Barbashin's early release from prison and suggests that Barbashin may be not as terrible after all (Барбашин не так уж страшен). At the end of the play, Revshin from a nearby pub where he and Kuprikov, the painter, got drunk telephones Troshcheykin to ask if everything is all right:

Трощейкин. Ревшин звонил. Оказывается, он и Куприков засели в кабачке недалеко от нас и спрашивают, всё ли благополучно. Кажется, напились. (Act Three)