At his mother s funeral he does not cry or show sadness Instead he says simply Maman died today Or yesterday I don t know His calm and honest words shock everyone Society believes that a good son must show deep grief But Meursault is not pretending he just feels differently People around him cannot accept this difference Later his lack of emotional display becomes a key point in his trial This shows how society forces people to express emotions in a fixed way and judges anyone who does not follow these emotional rules The Tyranny of Conformity Throughout the story Meursault is judged not because of the murder he commits but because he fails to fit into society s pattern In the courtroom the prosecutor talks more about Meursault s behavior at his mother s funeral than about the crime itself He even says When I look into a man s face all I see is a monster To society Meursault is not dangerous because he killed a man but because he does not pretend to be moral or emotional Camus shows that society becomes tyrannical when it demands everyone to be the same to feel the same and to act the same The Courtroom as a Symbol of Society The courtroom in the novel stands as a symbol of society s power to control individuals Meursault feels like a stranger there He sees it as the usual crowd of spectators as if it were a show The trial focuses not on what he did but on what kind of person he is The judges and lawyers are more interested in making him fit their idea of a normal man Camus shows how the law is used not only to punish crimes but also to protect society s values Meursault becomes guilty not for murder but for being honest and different The Role of Religion Religion in the story also represents society s pressure The magistrate and the priest try to make Meursault believe in God The magistrate holds up a crucifix and says I am a Christian I ask Him to forgive you your sins But Meursault calmly refuses to pretend His disbelief makes everyone angry For them not believing in God means rejecting society itself This shows that society uses religion as another tool to control people s minds and behavior Meursault s Rejection of Society Till the end Meursault stays true to himself He accepts life as it is and refuses to lie He says I opened myself to the gentle indifference of the world These words show that he finds peace in understanding that life has no clear meaning He would rather be hated for being honest than loved for pretending In The Outsider Camus shows that society can be cruel and demanding It forces people to act according to its fixed expectations even when those expectations are meaningless Through Meursault s story we see how society punishes those who refuse to follow its emotional and moral rules