The article is devoted to the subject of ethical problems in Aleksandr Vampilov’s drama Duck Hunting. A detailed analysis of the character concepts and the complexity of the composition enable one to reach the motives and images the work’s contents are actualized through: rain, a window, a door, a telephone – these are the recurring motives crucial in presenting the moral dilemmas of the main character – Viktor Zilov. Each of them may be interpreted as a sign of spiritual anxiety and Zilov’s efforts, his ups and downs, questioning the value of life and giving it some meaning. An oscillation between extremes, transitioning from drama to comedy and from laughter to tears, determines the structure of the text and, at the same time, gives an expression of the main character’s existential quest, one lost in the intricacies of every‑day reality. A The drama’s perfect structuring, the careful construction of space – the real and the imaginary, sound and light effects are all subordinated to the one imperative goal – showing Zilov’s spiritual evolution and the moral feeling still present in his life.