The Stranger-Compromise, or Sticking to Your Beliefs?

As I finished The Stranger, I really felt as though there was little to no compromise in the novel. For example, Meursault refuses to comply with societal norms, and doesn't really have the time or energy to be bothered with the fact that his mother died. Although not everyone loves their mother and wants to spend every minute with them, the fact remains that they gave birth to us, and are an integral part of our lives. It would have been a compromise for Meursault to at least pretend to be broken up about his mother's death, but he simply slept through the entire event and went along with his life.

Another example of lack of compromise I saw was when the priest came in to Meursault's cell near the end of the novel and tried to convert him to Christianity. I was surprised at Meursault's behavior, obviously, but he made his beliefs known. The priest wouldn't even consider this fact, and continued to probe Meursault until he exploded. Meursault refused to even consider the idea of religion, which surprised the priest, and they both refused to compromise, and stuck to their beliefs one hundred percent.

After reading the novel, one question I came up with was: is compromise a good thing? An argument can be made on both sides. Compromise helps everyone to work together, and allows everyone to get a little bit of what they want. On the other side, compromise keeps people from sticking to their beliefs, and allows people to submit to others rather than fighting for what they want. It's kind of scary to think about whether or not compromise should even happen, and while I'm inclined to say it should, The Stranger may suggest otherwise...