1. Brier-a heath of southern Europe whose roots and knotted stems are used for making tobacco pipes.
2. Borsch-a soup made primarily of beets and served hot or cold often with sour cream
3. Indolently-lazily, idly
4. Palatial Chateau-a mansion as luxurious as a palace.
5. Cossack-Member of a people from southern Russia, famous for their fierceness
6. Cosmopolite-Person at home in all parts of the world due to their sophistication
7. Debacle-a bad defeat-Zaroff is referring to the Russian Revolution of 1917, a defeat for upper-class Russians like himself.
8. Scruples-misgivings about something one feels is wrong
9. Blandly-in a mild and soothing manner
10. Futile-useless, hopeless