Mersault is a stranger

Point of view, something we learn back in elementary school, can carry hidden and deep meanings within it. In The Stranger by Albert Camus, Mersault’s story is being narrated in the first person, where he’s given many decisions but chooses not to use his own mind. He agrees with everything, whether it comes to when Maman is buried, if Maman’s death was bound to happen, if Raymond was in the wrong for fighting with the guy, or if he should be pals with Raymond, and most importantly whether Raymond’s mistress deserved to be punished or not. While reading, have you thought about how weird it is to ask someone else to write you a letter that would have “a punch and also some things in it to make her sorry” to your ex? It can be reasonable to assume that through the many interactions Raymond has had with Mersault, he’s understood his character and knew he would agree to everything, even for a reason like “he couldn’t write the kind of letter it would take.” 

That being said, one detail I noticed recently while playing video games is the difference between first-person and third-person games. The third-person perspective (where you play outside your character) is generally used in story games with a character that isn’t my own, where I can play through the story but not control what happens in the story. In contrast, the first-person perspective (where you play through the eyes of your character) is used in online games, where the character is most of the time my own, and the outcome of the game depends on my performance and skill. 

With The Stranger being written in first-person POV, Mersault is accustomed to listening to everyone else and doesn’t make any active choices of his own. This parallel highlights his detachment from his life and the limited engagement with his own story and getting involved in things that he doesn't care for. He's living his life in third-person while actually being in first-person (if that makes sense).