MBTI Type: INFP

Valentin is a sensitive soul. He has very firm ethical standards for himself but does not expect others to share them or ascribe to the behaviors he believes are moral. He has chosen to be a Tolstoyan and follow the rules to the letter, as much as he can. Though he feels deeply for Sofya in her plight, he remains neutral until an internal standard is crossed—until he realizes they intend to keep her away from Tolstoy on his death bed. Even then, he does not moralize or rage at them, merely expresses his deep disappointment in their behavior, and urge them to choose another path. He finds it difficult to express his feelings for the woman he loves, and when he decides to act on them, he does so in an inappropriate manner that startles her at first. (Only after he loudly draws attention to how much he loves her, and how being in her arms changed his life, in front of disapproving other people, does he make any headway with her.) In his position as a secretary and spy, Valentin is quite adept. He keeps meticulous records. He frequently acts on his feelings and tries to organize others, though his first appeal is an emotional one. He can back up his opinions with brutal facts, but he does not always think about the consequences of his choices. He is an idealist, drawn to Tolstoy’s religion because it promises an optimistic view for the future. Valentin arrives in the encampment eager to discuss ideas, to engage in philosophical debates, to learn more about other people and to share experiences. He quickly sees the connections between people in his environment and their larger worldviews; his ability to stay out of the family feud indicates how he fixates on the big picture. His beliefs all stem from things he has read and experienced; and he holds to these things and returns to them for comfort when things turn out badly. Valentin tends to idolize Tolstoy’s earlier works, and tries to apply his religious views in his own life, but often fails. He continues to have respect for the older way of doing things—for family dynamics, for social classes, and for what his girlfriend calls “outdated” ideals.

Enneagram: 9w1 so/sp

Valentin has no real sense of himself. When Tolstoy asks him what he thinks about life, Valentin starts to quote things he has heard other people, especially Tolstoy, say. Tolstoy stops him and asks what HE thinks. To his surprise, Valentin… does not know. He struggles not to identify with everyone all the time and slip in and out of merging with them – around Tolstoy, he is like Tolstoy; around his girlfriend, he is more open to her philosophies; around Sofya, he feels sorry for her and sympathetic to her pains. He cannot say no to anyone. In the midst of High Drama, when Sofya bursts into the room to scream at all of them for conspiring against her in her own house, Valentin sits in a corner with his head in his hands and wants it to stop. Though he believes in certain thing strongly, he tends not to stand up for them in aggressive ways. In so doing, he has lost part of himself. His 1 wing is very idealistic, driven to improve the world and believes in a strict code of morals. He’s shocked and a little offended by his girlfriend’s affair with a teacher at school; he’s also shocked and a little horrified to learn Tolstoy was a lecher in his youth, who feels no shame for having “wanton sexual encounters.” But of course, as a 9, he pushes this aside and puts a tolerant look on his face.