Mister Inspector

In The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol, corrupt officials in a small Russian town panic when they hear that an incognito government inspector is coming to investigate them. Mistaking a penniless traveler, Khlestakov, for the inspector, they bribe and flatter him, hoping to cover up their misdeeds. Khlestakov enjoys the deception but eventually flees, leaving the officials humiliated when they learn the real inspector has just arrived. The play satirizes government corruption and human folly.