The Stranger II: Bk. 1 Ch. 6 - Bk. 2 Ch. 1

Mersault's incomprehensibly impersonal tone in the novel is also evident in his interactions with others. Mersault can see that the magistrate "couldn't understand" why he waited, because this part of Mersault's story is inconsistent with the model that the magistrate has built for Mersault's psyche (68). Mersault's mind cannot be comprehended by the people around him because his absurd philosophy is different from the ideologies of every person around him such as Christianity. He denies that he believes in God, indicative of his absurd philosophy. When the magistrate begins to preach about God, Mersault nods his head, but when the magistrate asks Mersault a second time whether he believes in God, Mersault finds his answer of no "obvious" (69). Mersault believes that his absurd philosophy is perfectly logical, even though it makes no sense to those around him - especially those who believe in a higher power that cares about humans, a god of some sort, which is inherently inconsistent with absurd philosophy.