Abstract
This work considers the section of memoirs written by Russian General Staff officer Baron F.F. Thornau (he carried out reconnaissance missions in the North-Western Caucasus in 1830s), which concerns his time being held captive by the mountaineers. The authors analyze information from one of the most competent “Caucasian captives”, which allows them to learn more about the specifics of Russians' stay in captivity. They pay attention to the unusual status of the captive officer, the involuntary guest (prisoner-guest), with a particular focus on Thornau’s behavior, who took into account the mountain mentality, thus being able to maintain respect from his “masters” despite his servitude. F.F. Thornau’s Behavior in captivity describes him as an ideological officer who does not buy himself out of captivity, so as not to encourage the mountain practice of capturing prisoners. Thornau gives interesting characteristics to some representatives of the mountain society. F.F. Thornau sees the mountain people as human beings, worthy of understanding and respect. His accounts of them are generally devoid of negativism and arrogance in the spirit of the so-called Orientalism. The verdict of Thornau's judgments is the phrase pronounced in the title of the article, which speaks of his humanistic approach to the representatives of the mountainous Inomir.
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