Pahom's growing greed for land

In Leo Tolstoy's story "How Much Land Does a Man Need?", Pahom is a peasant whose desire for land grows steadily until it destroys him.

Stages of his greed

1. The first wish. At the start he is a fairly contented peasant. Hearing his wife's sister boast about city life, he says that if he had plenty of land he would not fear even the Devil. The devil overhears and decides to tempt him.
2. Buying land. When a landlady sells her land, Pahom borrows money, buys part of it and works hard. He soon quarrels with his neighbours, whose cattle stray onto his fields, and he becomes harsh and angry with them.
3. Moving for more land. Though he has more land than before, he is dissatisfied with his situation. He moves to a distant area where land is more plentiful, and receives a larger share. He then rents more land and grows wheat.
4. Wanting still more. Each gain increases his wish. He wants freehold land of his own and is always looking for a better and larger area.
5. The Bashkirs. He hears of the Bashkirs who sell land cheaply. He travels there and is told that for 1000 roubles he may have as much as he can walk around in one day, provided he returns to the starting point by sunset.
6. Final greed. He goes farther and farther, tempted by good land, and returns exhausted and in a desperate rush. He reaches the starting point at sunset but falls dead. His servant buries him in a grave of about six feet.

Moral

Greed is never satisfied. In the end, all the land a man needs is the six feet in which he is buried.