“In short,” he concluded, speaking with great vehemence, “I accuse the prisoner of behaving at his mother’s funeral in a way that showed he was already a criminal at heart.”
This quote is important because it exposes the belief that Meursault was presumed guiltly based upon his lack of "feelings". When Meursault's lawyer questions him, he is disturbed by the answers Meursault gives about his feelings at Maman's funeral. Meursault is honest and refuses to say that he had repressed natural feelings of sadness because it is not true. Although those details have little to do with the present case, the lawyer it explains it will come up in court.
The lawyer is disturbed most by Meursault's inability to lie about how he felt at his mother's funeral. He is a representative of the French institution since he is provided by the state and Meursault's character is completely foreign to him. The trial is business to him and he wants Meursault to learn how to best succeed in court and is worried that is indifferent outlook will harm his chance of winning the case. Meursault tries being very direct with him and even tells him straight, "my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings." Here Camus is telling us what we have been guessing along. Meursault recognizes this difference from society but it is meaningless to try to change that. The lawyer does not get as upset at this comment though than the one where Meursault claims that he can not say that he repressed his natural feelings at Maman's burial because that would not be true. Meursault, above all, is true to himself. At this, the lawyer looks at him disgusted. Already he is being judged to be an inferior human being because he is refusing to go along with the game implied by the lawyer. Meursault plays by his own rules.
GradeSaver
