Chekov is the Ur-text for physician writers. “Only the rich peasants feared death. The richer they grew, the less they believed in God and and salvation, and if they gave candles and had special masses said, it was only for fear of their earthly end and to be on the safe side. Poorer peasants were not afraid to die. People told Gran and the old man to their faces that their day was done and it was time they were dead.” At least two things– it’s more likely to be meditation than a mass, and the poor are less likely to be told to their faces–are different, but there’s more continuity than discontinuity.