Throughout the novel, can Pauline be a symbol of the psychological effects the people we love have on us?

Polina is a stepdaughter of the General. The reader tries to discover her intentions and motifs of her behavior. At the beginning of the novel, she is a rather selfish and self-admiring person. She is proud of her beauty, always intends to charm and attract every man with her “cat’s eyes” and forces them to submit. But love forces her to become a sensitive, tender and loving lady.