What does Ivan conclude is the meaning and purpose of life?

In "Gooseberries," Ivan tells the story of his brother Nicholai, who worked for years and years as a government clerk and married a rich widow so that he could save enough money to buy a farm, where he immediately planted gooseberry bushes. The bushes are for Nicholai the symbol of the good life. However, the farm he has purchased lies between two factories, so the river that runs past it is polluted and the gooseberry...

In "Gooseberries," Ivan tells the story of his brother Nicholai, who worked for years and years as a government clerk and married a rich widow so that he could save enough money to buy a farm, where he immediately planted gooseberry bushes. The bushes are for Nicholai the symbol of the good life. However, the farm he has purchased lies between two factories, so the river that runs past it is polluted and the gooseberry bushes produce fruit that tastes bitter to Ivan. Ivan experiences a moment of revelation when he visits his brother and sees him lolling about in bed, more interested in acting the part of lord of the manor than actually helping the peasants on his estate. Ivan is so repulsed by what his brother has become, a person living well by turning a blind eye to the suffering around him, that Ivan decides the true meaning and purpose of life is to do as much good as possible for other people. Ironically, however, though he is capable of tramping around the countryside and deeply enjoying a swim in the rain, he decides he is "too old" to do good and delegates that task to the younger Aliokhin.