Please provide a critical analysis of the story "The Chameleon" by Anton Chekhov.

"The Chameleon," at only four pages, is one of Chekhov's shortest short stories. Despite this, it is crammed with the psychological acuity and profound moral insight one would expect from its author. The story also represents a withering critique of the hierarchical, vertical structure of nineteenth-century Russian society.
The protagonist of "The Chameleon" is an officious police superintendent by the name of Otchumyelov. One day, as he walks across the market square with a parcel under his arm, he hears a sudden commotion. A white Borzoi puppy has bitten Hryukin, the goldsmith, on his finger. At first, Otchumyelov is very sympathetic to the unfortunate victim of the dog bite. This crime is an outrage, and a detailed report must be drawn up immediately.
However, when he discovers whose dog it is, his whole attitude suddenly changes. The dog belongs to a local worthy, General Zhigalov. When the policeman realizes this, he starts questioning the veracity of Hryukin's account of events:

"There's one thing I can't make out, how it came to bite you?" Otchumyelov turns to Hryukin. "Surely it couldn't reach your finger. It's a little dog, and you are a great hulking fellow! You must have scratched your finger with a nail, and then the idea struck you to get damages for it. We all know . . . your sort! I know you devils!"

Here we see Chekhov satirizing the rigid class structure of Tsarist Russia. At first, Otchumyelov appears committed to doing his duty and determined to get to the bottom of the crime. However, because the dog concerned belongs to a General, a man of importance in the town, he displays his toadying deference towards his social betters by accusing the complainant of injuring himself to obtain compensation.
However, Otchumyelov, being the chameleon that he is, has not finished changing just yet. He soon establishes, to his own satisfaction at least, that the dog does not belong to the General. There is no way that a man of such nobility and such breeding would own such an animal. However, some people in the gathering crowd are convinced that the dog does indeed belong to the General. Otchumyelov then effectively absolves himself of responsibility for what has happened; he tells his subordinate to take the dog to the General's house and tells the subordinate to ask them not to let it out into the street again, in case it should be tormented or abused.
Otchumyelov is hedging his bets here. He is not absolutely certain whose dog this is. However, if the dog does turn out to belong to the General, then he can say that he was trying to protect the animal on grounds of welfare rather than public safety. In other words, Otchumyelov is more comitted to not offending the General than he is to ensuring that no one else gets bitten by the dog. Maintaining distinctions of rank and their associated privileges is clearly much more important to the superintendent than upholding the law.
Unsurprisingly, this officious, overbearing chameleon is about to change his colors once more. The General's cook steps forward and adamantly insists that the dog definitely does not belong to his master. This settles the matter for Otchumyelov; the dog is a menace, and it must be put down. Then the cook mentions that the dog in question belongs to Vladimir Ivanitch, the General's brother. Otchumyelov then performs another sudden about-face and lets the cook take the little dog back to the General. It is only a little pup, says the superintendent, a nice little pup. Poor Hryukin stands there in the freezing cold, his finger still hurting, as he is subjected to peals of mocking laughter from the assembled crowd. Worse still, Otchumyelov makes a threatening parting shot:

I'll make you smart yet!

As well as being a satire on Tsarist Russian society, "The Chamleon" also displays an acute insight into human behavior. All too often we adjust our behavior to suit our own needs, irrespective of whether it is the right thing to do. Otchumyelov is a senior police officer sworn to uphold the law without fear or favor. Yet, his ever-changing behavior coupled with his constant moral twists and turns leads to the injured party being publicly humiliated and threatened while those responsible for his injury get away scot-free. The outcome of the story shows us that putting our needs above our duty to others often leads to suffering and injustice.
https://americanliterature.com/author/anton-chekhov/short-story/a-chameleon