Character Analysis
Raymond
Even before we see Raymond in action, we can infer a great deal about his personality. He is short and thick-set and has a flattened nose. He wears flashy clothes, but his room is unclean and the walls are covered by pinup pictures. His reputation as a pimp never is much of a problem for him; most of his friends are pimps, except Meursault and Masson. He repeatedly seeks reassurance, usually by violence, and thus we can be fairly sure that his macho pose is just a front for insecurity. He struts, is a tough guy, but isn't intelligent enough to realize how easily even Meursault sees through his veneer. He is humiliated more than physically harmed when he is wounded by the Arab's knife. He is not a close friend of Meursault; Meursault simply has no objection to spending time in the evenings with Raymond, sharing wine and food and listening to Raymond rant about the newest crisis in his life. And yet Meursault stands trial for a crime that Raymond may well have committed had Meursault not gone to the beach that particular Sunday.