Instead of answering the posted question (This is allowed, right?) , I'm going to discuss the similarities between "The Overcoat" and Franz Kafka's "The Trial". "The Overcoat" (particularly the episode in which Akaky tries to retrieve his stolen coat) resembles "The Trial" in its portrayal of bureaucracy. Both protagonists are low-level functionaries (Akaky Akaievich a clerk, Joseph K. a bank clerk), and are therefore identified within their respective bureaucracies. Akaky Akakievich believes bureaucrats of lower rank to be ineffectual and therefore brings his problem to a disinterested higher-up; Joseph K. must transfer his case from one uncaring level to the next, with neither receiving a definitive answer. Finally the crisis moment in each story takes on a mysterious air, since the attackers remain unidentified in both cases.