Demonic sons of a demonic father, the Karamazov brothers collectively express the multifaceted nature of the human soul, as each of them represents one of the forces or tendencies that define it. Thus, the scheming Ivan is the cold and emotionless logic, the hedonistic Dmitri is the unrestrained passion, the devout Alyosha is the unthinking surrender to the most absolute metaphysics, and the terrifying illegitimate Smerdyakov embodies all the dark and horrific desires we all carry in our subconscious.

Under these conditions, the murder of Father Karamazov takes on the dimensions of a ritual execution, and although Dmitri is formally the killer, the knife with which he struck had been sharpened by all of them.
Therefore, the noose of the gallows that awaits him will strangle not only him but all the others as well.