The banker, a spoiled and pampered man, is very nervous and gets himself carried away by excitement at the time he makes a bet with the lawyer. This is shown when he says, "Fifteen! Done...Gentlemen, I stake two millions." Chekhov shows the reader that this not the impulsiveness of youth since he describes it as excitability, which he could not get over even in advancing years. Later in the story, Chekhov paints the portrait of a cowardly man who lacks the courage to endure reality. One day before the lawyer is to be granted his freedom, the banker becomes irritated and anxious, "The only escape from bankruptcy and disgrace--is that the man should die." At this point, the reader can trace the banker's path from boastfully making a foolish bet to being the one to give up all that he had staked, and conclude that his self-values have reached their all time low.
On the other hand, the lawyer, an older and wiser man, shows his dynamic characteristics as he changes dramatically in the course of the 15 year bet. The lawyer's character completely transforms from being an arrogant, young man, in to a feeble, cynical, yet more intelligent man. In the beginning of the story, he is presented