Prince Vassily is a rich and influential player in society, and expected to become wealthier still on the death of his relative Count Bezukhov. He will go to great lengths to secure the inheritance, even allowing Pierre to stay with his family as a favour to the dying old man. But his other priority is his own children, Helene and Anatole – not so much to see them happy, as to see them marry into vast amounts of money.
