The problem of choice between the social rule and individual wish is the eternal question without any answer. Albert Camus was the man of absurd. His point of view varied from one point to the other. He explained that with getting the freedom, the person loses it.
In his short story The Guest, Albert Camus raises a plenty of philosophical questions about this choice. The problem is how the social rule and obligation can affect the personal decision. The main character, the schoolmaster Daru, has to make a choice whether he will lead the Arab to the authority or let him go. He thinks locally and does not pay attention to the consequences of his decision.
The story is held on one day when Balducci brings Arab to Daru and leaves him with the schoolmaster. The Arab is a prisoner, but once they are left alone, Daru treats him like a guest. He gives him a place to sleep and something to eat. The schoolmaster knows that Arab is a murderer of the cousin, but he decides to let the prisoner go. He gives him some food and a thousand franks for the road. At the end of the story, Daru understands that he will pay for this, and he realizes his loneliness.
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the problem between the freedom of individual choice and social rule is the leitmotiv of the story. The whole night Daru spends in his thoughts and makes the decision, which will affect him negatively. It seems that he is not afraid of the consequences at all. The message on the blackboard warns him about the outcome, but the only thing he is thinking about is his feeling of loneliness.
With this story, Albert Camus shows his point of view. He would rather act according to his individual wish than adhere to the social norms. As the man of absurd, he also hides in the context that the individual choice is the beginning of action. Unfortunately, it is the action of the society.