Relationships in The Stranger (The Outsider) On the surface, Albert Camus's The Stranger (The Outsider) was about a misguided man and his sudden, fateful tribulation. Secretly, a second, more compelling plot occurred in the novel. It involved an unfortunate widower and his dog, his companion. This scenario may be starkly contrasted with Meursault's insensitivity to all life (and beyond). Purposely, this contrast will evidently demonstrate that Camus used a wide range of multipersonalities to enhance his novel and, perhaps, to illustrate the profound differences between people. Salamano, the widower, received the dog shortly after his wife's death. Apparently, he showed no respect or value for her, because "he had not been happy with her, but had practically grown accustomed to her" (Camus 44). The dog was supposed to fill the void in his life. He often cuddled the dog and showered him with gifts. When the dog fell ill, he fed it and brought it back to remarkable health. However, soon after he became indifferent to the dog. He began verbally and physically abusing the dog. His second "marriage" profoundly mirrors the one with his wife. Eventually the dog ran away to escape punishment and Salamano once again lived a life of solitude. He did not get over this loss as well or as quickly as that of his wife. He came to the realization that he had taken life for granted. To prove it, he rarely socialized before his dog's disappearance; after losing the dog, however, he offers his hand to Meursault as a sign of kindness (Camus 46). Meursault, on the contrary, does not change his mental attitude at all in the novel. His time was precious, because he could not correspond with anyone unless arrangements were made in advance. He was very disrespectful and insensitive, and he was very open about that fact. One aspect of his attitude was the relationship between him and Marie. To him she was just a sexual object. He based their relationship solely on sex and sexuality. Sure he talked to her, but he didn't really care about her.