Described as a medium-sized man around age 35, Bernard Rieux has broad shoulders and a rectangular face punctuated by dark eyes and a prominent jawline. The doctor’s steady gaze reflects his steadiness of character—making him an ideal narrator—as evinced by the attentive regularity with which he attends to his patients before, during, and after the plague hits Oran. The only person to whom Rieux devotes himself less than he should is his chronically ill wife; for this, he feels pangs of remorse, but his personal mission extends more to the community at large than to any one individual.

While puzzled by the dead rats around town, Rieux initially reacts with disbelief at the situation’s severity. As deaths begin multiply, however, Rieux realizes that he must act swiftly as an agent of change in convincing Oran’s officials to lose no time in closing the city. Preferring concise, direct communication, Rieux implores the city’s medical team not to prevaricate, to instead act decisively in this time of crisis. As Oran’s death toll rises, he works around the clock, never faltering in performing his duty, not out of heroism but out of “common decency.” Even upon understanding that his role is more about diagnosing than healing, Rieux does what he can to save Oranians’ lives.