How is Tolstoy's influence present in "The Bet?"

Most, if not all, of Russian writers who come after
Tolstoy have some connection to him.  I think that Checkhov in "The Bet" is no
exception.  On one level, there is a statement about human limitations present.  The
absolute simple perception that human wishes and human beliefs are permanent, without a
sense of complexity entering into such articulation, is evident. Both the banker and the
lawyer are so convinced of their own authenticity of their beliefs that they are willing
to make the silliest of wagers on their own certainties.  In the end, this ends up
destroying both men.  Tolstoy's impact on the short story is quite present in that
Tolstoy specialized in being able to bring out morals and sense of how human beings make
mistakes in order to be better.  This is certainly the case of Chekhov's
protagonists.