Between grief and nothing: A great Chekhov story

A short example of an (early) Chekhov story that that's one of his best : In Exile, set on a wintry river bank in Siberia, story mostly about the man who runs a ferry or barge to carry people and their horses/carriages acorss the river and the group of men who liver miserable lives under his service - all of them in exile from Russia, for some crimes or other against the state or some sort of malfeasance, petty theft even. The main character, Semya (?) known as The Explainer, talks to his men about why it's best not to care for anyeone of anything, life's the same anywhere, just go on with your life - heis contrasted with the social outcast of the group, The Tarter, who speaks broken Russian only, and who is a recent exile - his young wife left behind in his village, and believes he was framed by a rich villager for a crime he didn't commit. The Explainer tells a story of another exile, living across the river, who is seeking medical help for his daughter and sends for every sort of doctor near and far, with little hope for success. The Explainer belittles this man, calls him a fool - and at the end The Tarter, in his broken Russian, calls the Explainer a bad man - an evil man: The Explainer says it's best to have no feelings, and the Tartar in his outburst says it is best to have these feelings of longing, even if they are sure to be dashed. Reminds me of the phrase, from Sartre I think?, quoted famously in Godard's Breathless: Between grief and nothing, I will take grief. This story, In Exile, a great example of the painful truth of that statement - it is better to have feelings(for others, for society) and to suffer than to be an isolate, a cynic, a numb and dead sole - even if that numbness can protect you from pain.