Doctors

Doctors take a oath to do no harm and to do all in their power to help the sick an dying. I see Rieux as a man who is adamant about always doing his best to save lives and in this current situation with Oran it must be extremely hard on him. A disease with no cure, people always thinking that you are just not doing your best. It is said in the book that "it wasn't medical aid that he dispensed in those crowded days - only information" (193). It shows how little power the doctors now have to make any difference in the lives of the sick and dying. They simply tell them what they have and leave them to their fate. Where before the doctors were saviors and guardian, they now are simply messengers. Rieux's way to cope with this and his lack of sleep has been to become emotionless and this was turning people against him. Now he even needed to be accompanied by soldiers, because these people, knowing that their death is imminent these people want to take anyone they can with them in there last moments of despair. Though people have become for the most part indifferent, it can be seen that they still have emotion, when they know their death is imminent everything comes flooding back.