Why is Dostoyevsky Playing Mind Games With Us?

      It is interesting to think that the character in the story, and therefore the author, is basically playing mind games with the reader throughout the book. The fact that he keeps contradicting himself seems to be just a ploy to knock the reader off guard towards the expectation of the character. This also makes me think that the footnote on the first page is intentionally vague so as to trick the reader and confuse them as to the actual meaning or reason of the character. Also, the fact that this book seems completely rambly and random yet contains some solid sayings and very deep questions that are just passed off as nothing throughout the narrative. Especially the line about how an aware man is a limited man and the whole debate on whether it is better to be ignorant or better to have knowledge. It seems as though the narrator has attained knowledge about his inner self and society and with that perspective he is saying that it would be better to be ignorant, which might just be a ploy.