Editing The Stranger (Camus novel) (section)

===Part 1===
Meursault learns of the death of his mother, who has been living in an [[old age home]] in the country. He takes time off from work to attend her funeral but seems to show no signs of grief or mourning to the people around him. When asked if he wishes to view her body, he declines, and he smokes and drinks regular (white) coffee—not the obligatory black coffee—at the vigil held by the coffin the night before the burial with  the caretaker.

The day after the funeral Meursault returns to [[Algiers]] and encounters Marie, a former secretary of his firm. The two become re-acquainted, swim together, and that evening watch a comedy film and begin to have an intimate relationship.

Over the next few days, Meursault helps Raymond Sintès, a neighbor and friend who is rumored to be a [[Procuring (prostitution)|pimp]], but says he works in a warehouse, to get revenge on a [[Moorish]] [[Mistress (lover)|mistress]] he suspects has been accepting gifts and money from another man. Raymond asks Meursault to write a letter inviting the girl over to Raymond's apartment solely so that he can have sex with her and then spit in her face and throw her out. While listening to Raymond, Meursault is unfazed by any feelings of empathy, does not express concern that she would be emotionally hurt by this plan and agrees to write the letter.

The girl visits Raymond on a Sunday morning, and the police get involved when he beats her for slapping him after he tries to kick her out. He asks Meursault to testify that the girl had been unfaithful when he is called to the police station, and Meursault agrees. Ultimately, Raymond is let off with a warning.

While this is going on, Meursault's boss asks him if he would like to work at a branch their firm is thinking about opening in [[Paris]] and Marie asks him if he wants to get married. In both cases, Meursault does not have strong feelings about the matter but is willing to move or get married if it will please the other party. Also, Salamano, Meursault and Raymond's elderly neighbor, loses his abused and diseased dog and, despite outwardly maintaining his usual spiteful and uncaring attitude toward the creature, goes to Meursault for comfort and advice a few times. During one of these conversations, Salamano, who adopted the dog as a companion shortly after his wife's death, mentions that some neighbors had 'said nasty things' about Meursault after he sent his mother to a retirement home. Meursault is surprised to learn about this negative impression of his actions.

One weekend, Raymond invites Meursault and Marie to a friend's beach cabin. There they see the brother of Raymond's spurned mistress along with another Arab, who Raymond has mentioned have been following him around recently. The Arabs confront Raymond and Meursault, and the brother wounds Raymond with a knife before running away. Later, Meursault walks back along the beach alone, armed with a [[revolver]] he took from Raymond to prevent him from acting rashly, and encounters the brother of Raymond's mistress. [[Orientation (mental)#Causes of mental disorientation|Disoriented]] and on the edge of heatstroke, Meursault shoots when the Arab flashes his knife at him. It is a fatal shot, but Meursault shoots the man four more times after a pause.