In The Stranger, Meursault strays away from common ways to create an identity for ones self. Although he is obviously an outcast from society, he has a better sense of himself more than others do. He does not care what other people think about him or his ways and does not conform to the normality others. This lack of conformity bothers other people and makes them uncomfortable when they see the way Meursault handles the situations he encounters. He is perfectly content when he does not cry at his mother's funeral because he does not feel the need to express his emotions in a normal way. This different reaction allows other people to assume Meursault does not care about his mother and he is psychologically troubled. Meursault has already shaped his own identity but not in a way that other people choose to. Rather than basing his personality on other people's perceptions, he does what feels right to him, whether people are comfortable with it or not.