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Tolstoy's characters are more balanced. He's much more sympathetic to his characters, even the bad guys and the foolish ones. I noticed this first with Anna Karenina when I was mentally berating Anna's husband for being such an ass, and then thought suddenly, "You know ... I'm just not sure. Had I been in his situation, I might have behaved the same way."




Dostojvksi may seem more black and white because he does not do the moral value thing. And I think he is thrice as sympathetic with his characters as Tolstoy, who, being of solid Russian noblity has the tolerant values of his class and the idealistic ideas too. I know he is one of the great writers for sure , but I would like to put Dostojevski against Tolstoy as Van Gogh stands against Rubens.
Dostojevski suffered like his characters. Acknowledged the injustice and arbitrariness of social structures and relations.
His writing is feverish, lucid, compassionate.
His smaller works are worth reading too. White Nights and the Meek One. - maybe the English title is Weak of Heart or The weak of Heart
Wonderful short stories.

Dostojevski was of lower Latvian noblity and suffered from epilepsy.
Was senteced to death but was then changed onto forced labor. He´s a realistic, he lived what he wrote. Maybe Tolstoy did too , but from a more comfortable desk chair.