Relationships in The Stranger (The Stranger)On the surface, The Stranger (The Stranger) by Albert Camus was about a lost man and of his sudden and fatal tribulation. Secretly, a second, more gripping plotline occurred in the novel. It was about an unhappy widower and his sidekick, a dog. This scenario stands in stark contrast to Meursault's insensitivity towards all life (and beyond). By design, this contrast will obviously prove that Camus used a wide range of multiple personalities to enhance his novel and, perhaps, to illustrate the deep differences between people. Salamano, the widower, received the dog shortly after his wife's death. Apparently, he showed her no respect or value, because “he had not been happy with her, but he had become more or less accustomed to her” (Camus 44). The dog had to fill the void in his life. He often pampered the dog and gave him gifts. When the dog became ill, he would feed it until it regained considerable health. However, soon after, he became indifferent to the dog. He began to verbally and physically abuse the dog. His second “marriage” deeply mirrored the one with his wife. The dog eventually ran away to escape punishment and Salamano once again experienced a life of solitude. He did not recover from this loss as well or as quickly as that of his wife. He realized that he took life for granted. To prove it, he rarely socialized before his dog disappeared; But after losing the dog, he extended his hand to Meursault as a sign of kindness (Camus 46). Meursault, on the other hand, does not change his mental attitude at all in the novel. His time was precious, as he could not correspond with anyone without arrangements being made in advance. He was very disrespectful and insensitive, and he was very open about it. One aspect of his attitude was the relationship between him and Mary. She was just a sexual object for him. He based their relationship solely on sex and sexuality. He certainly talked to her, but he didn't really care about her..