Purpose. The article examines the mice/mousetrap motif which is “peripheral” (B. Gasparov) in V. Nabokov’s novel Despair, but it is associated with the central motives of crime and punishment, self-identification, and relationships with a double.

Results. It is proved that the double-antagonists of the central character of the novel are allusively associated with the images of a cat / lion, and in Herman’s appearance and behavior associations with the image of a mouse can be traced. A significant piece of clothing is the “mouse leggings” that Herman takes off and puts on Felix before killing him. An attempt to replace or borrow the name of his double-antagonists counterparts testifies to Herman’s internal insecurity and dissatisfaction with himself.

The image of a mouse contains an allusion to Notes from Underground by F.M. Dostoevsky, and the final motif of the mouse, the image of a mousetrap, refers to the famous Hamlet scene. However, it is given in a transformed form in the novel: Herman appears as both a director, an actor, and a viewer, but does not feel remorse, does not sense a “trap”. Self-exposure occurs when Herman takes the position of the reader of his text.

Conclusion. The text created by the character becomes a «mousetrap», and in the absence of eyewitnesses, it testifies against the author, who turned out to be mediocrity and a criminal, revealing the failure of Herman’s plan to get rid of the “mouse” in himself and take the position of the “master” of his existence.