: Karas discusses freedom and equality for all fish, he is convinced that he knows words that can even re-educate pike. Having met a pike, he says these words to her, and she eats it in surprise.

Karas argued with a ruffian friend about "that it is possible to live in the world with one truth." Ruff argued that you can not do without being deceitful. Karas was indignant and called it meanness, and the ruff predicted: “You will see now!”

Typically, crucians are quiet, idealistic fish, for which they are very fond of monks. Carp lies at the bottom of the river, in silt, feeds on microscopic shells - “lie down, lie down, and invent something.” Sometimes even very free. ” But since crucians do not reveal their thoughts, they are not suspected of political unreliability, but are caught solely because of tasty meat.

Ruff is a prickly fish, “already touched by skepticism”, nervous and vindictive. Caught a ruff solely for a tasty broth.

It is not known how two such different fish came together, but they began to meet and argue every day. Karas believed in a harmonious and peaceful future for all fish and was convinced that happiness “sooner or later will become the common property”.

Karas argued that the basis of life is good, not evil, about the common rights for all fish and that the fish need to conspire among themselves and stop eating their own kind.The skeptic Ruff, who believed that darkness and ignorance reign in the world, maliciously reminded of a pike that had recently swam into their backwater and wondered if crucian carp were found there.

For crucian carp, pike was a mythical creature that scared naughty children, and he had never heard of an ear. He believed that the pike had no right to swallow it without explanation and guilt, and was going to ask her at a meeting, "what is virtue and what duties does it impose in relation to neighbors." Karas was sincerely convinced that pikes were “not deaf to the voice of truth,” and when he heard these magic words, the pike would not eat him.

In vain, the ruff insisted that they did not eat as punishment, but because they wanted to eat and the world was arranged like that - crucian carp did not want to listen to him. The backwater where the friends lived was a quiet place, everything could be talked about with impunity, and the crucian talked with might and main.

- It is necessary that the fish love each other! He said. - To each for everyone, and all for each - that’s when real harmony comes true!

One fine day, a gobbler came to the crucian with the news that a pike would visit the backwater the other day. Karas was instructed to appear “to keep the answer a little light”, but he was not afraid - he hoped for his “magic word”, which would tame the most fierce pike.

Seeing the friend's calm, the ruff began to doubt: maybe the pike is really not so angry and is able to hear a kind word, and crucian carp may not be such a simpleton. This is how he will come to the pike tomorrow, as he will tell her “the most existent truth”, the pike will penetrate, and he will appoint a crucian to be the head of the whole backwater.

The pike, who loved various disputes, had long heard of crucian speeches and sailed specially to listen to him. I laid out to her crucian her thoughts about freedom, equality and happiness for all fish.

... such a common matter will be announced in which all the fish will have their own interest and each will do its share.

If the fish start to stand for each other, then people will have to forget about the ear.

For three days the pike listened to the speech of the crucian idealist and called his ideas socialism. Pike did not like socialism, she did not want to work for the common good, and in the end she was tired of crucian carp. He was arrested, and during interrogation a perch bit his tail and dorsal fin.

At the last meeting, the perch was badly battered, but not surrendered. Looking into the eyes of a pike, he said “magic word” - he asked: “Do you know what virtue is?” Pike opened her mouth in surprise, mechanically sucked water into herself and accidentally swallowed the crucian carp.

Those who saw this hastily swam to the pike to find out if it had choked. And the ruff, long anticipating such an end, said: “Here they are, our debates, what they are!”