Answer:
The description of the people and Katerina herself at the funeral party is the perfect background for the author to convey this.
Step-by-step explanation:
Social criticism is conveyed by the behaviour of Katerina herself who (irrationely) dislikes her landlady, of German origin, showing the long conflict between native Russians and members of the German working class.
No writer exists, how harsh and critical he may be without some tiny little hope and sympathy for humanity. The most sympathic figure is Sonya and on a lower scale Raskolnikov himself. Sonya´s apprehension is palpable and a beautiful counterforce to Katerina´s prejudice.