In its examination of M. Gorky’s play The Old Man [Starik] (1917) the article deals with the question of whether a person’s discretion to judge another human being conforms to Christian ethics. The article approaches the problem, first of all, in the sense of one’s understanding of the meaning of life in the context of one’s past and present, and, secondly, in relation to the events of Russian history between the revolutions of 1905 and 1917, the first year of the Bolsheviks’ dictatorship. In addition, the author draws parallels with other types of ‘old men’ in Gorky’s books. The main node of the plot is presented as a merger of three topics: the passing and purpose of a human life, the (im)possibility for a man to judge another man, and manifestation of faith. The author highlights the differences in the writer’s treatment of the Old Man from the eponymous 1909 vignette, where he is shown in the modus of personal choice, and the Old Man from the play, using the epic modus of time and fate. The author argues that the play returns the same verdict to the society as in Gorky’s Untimely Thoughts [Nesvoevremennye mysli] (1917–1918), in which he analyzes the chaos of the revolution and peoples’ abuse of discretion.