## part 1
The stress of the dying rats is increased through a series of 10 or 15 pages. 
masterfully done, you feel stressed out as you read on. 

once people start getting sick, the stress changes. 
you know what is coming and you are anticipating it. 
The additions by Tarrou are great! getting details on what happened from different narrators gives great color. 

## part 2
people outside were allowed to come in.  
some couples who were not examplary in their love or affection took the risk of death after noticing that they could not live apart. 

He goes into themes: 
1. Trying to get out; Rambert 
2. Religion, the priest condems the entire city saying that they deserve the plague 
3. listing what gives meaning to each character: writing the perfect first sentence for a book, escaping the city, counting the dead etc. 

## part 3 
the story takes a much darker tone. 
the similarities between the treatment of the jews in WWII and the citizens of Oran start to look much more similar.