When he remembers what it was like to live with his mother, he admits to himself that he knows she didn't like living with him, but his account suggests that he feels guilty about how he he took care of his mother, both when she lived with him and when she was at home because he didn't go to visit her. In any case, it shows that Meursault is capable of feeling guilt, potentially meaning that his murderous act was born out of desperation or a need to see if he was still capable of feeling. Given that Meursault was only introduced to the novel soon after learning of his mother's death, it is possible that his actions were all tied to how he felt about losing her. Camus uses the murder as testimony to the fact that what would ruin a person simply does nothing for Meursault, but contrary to his trial focusing on his lack of reaction to his mother's death, her death may have been the only thing that it really evoked some emotion in him, even if only internally. In concluding the first part of The Stranger, it creates a transition to the 4th stage of grief: depression. Meursault shooting the Arab four more times after killing him may have been an attempt to regain control over his life, but this phrase shows Meursault's acceptance of the consequences in a way that creates a sense of impending punishment . The use of a simile adds to the auditory imagery of the event, each gunshot reveals its misery