"An Honest Thief" is an 1848 short story by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The story recounts the tale of the tragic drunkard Emelyan Ilyitch.
The story opens with the narrator taking on a lodger in his apartment, an old soldier named Astafy Ivanovich. One day, a thief steals the narrator's coat, and Astafy tries to pursue him unsuccessfully. Astafy is dismayed by the theft and goes over the scenario over and over again.