Daru struggles to find his place in the world and ends up settling on a distant plateau in Algeria. He does this because he belongs to Algeria as much as any other French citizen. Daru feels that the situation Balducci puts him in is unfair and struggles to make a decision. He has no idea whether or not he should send the Arab to prison to stay true to his country or let the Arab go free to stay true to his own morals. Daru's struggle with himself shows how every character in the story has difficulty finding someone they can trust and a place where they belong. Daru does not support the way the French have treated the Algerian people, but he also feels he has some sort of duty to the nation he despises. When Balducci approaches Daru with this task, he expects him to accept the proposal because he is a fellow Frenchman. Daru has spent his life looking for a place to isolate himself from what is happening in the world around him. Yet here is his nation literally knocking on his door. Balducci represents the French nation and its desire for control. He not only represents the nation, but also represents the governments in Algeria. French citizens living in Algeria feel as if they have more of a right to live in Algeria than native Algerians. The French go around acting like it's their country because they control the natives so aggressively that they have no choice but to rebel. Daru sees how the French treat the Algerians and knows that one is no better than the other. Daru struggles with what he should do with the Arab because he can't decide what is the right decision to make. In a way, Daru empathizes with the Arab... middle of paper... asks to belong somewhere so sincerely, that it literally consumes him the entire night the Arab is at his house . He knows that being loyal to his nation is the right choice if he wants to belong there, but morally he knows that it is not his right to choose this man's fate because he doesn't belong there in the first place. Balducci also knows that it is not up to him to ask Daru to make this decision for him but, due to his lack of knowledge, he is only following orders because he wants to prove that he has the power to belong to the Algerian country. Balducci is also confused about where Daru belongs because he is so reluctant to do this favor for his fellow Frenchmen. The message on the blackboard could well have come from a Frenchman who says that by choosing not to make any choices, Daru has demonstrated that he is not loyal to his nation and has given himself up..