The plague affected people not only physically but also mentally. The mental health of the citizens of Oran was among the many victims of the plague, suffered from exhaustion and was forced to endure mental confrontations. As citizens faced these problems, some people lost the ability to love with the same intensity, but overall people's general ability to sustain their devotion remained resilient to the challenges provided by the plague. When the plague began, people kept hope alive in love. . They initially maintained their ideals and honestly believed that the separation was temporary. When given the opportunity to return their loved ones to Oran, most people showed their love because "they realized the danger to which they exposed their loved ones and resigned themselves to enduring the separation", in order to guarantee the health of your loved ones. , demonstrate their ability to love despite the pain of loneliness of plague. Castel is an exception; when he and his wife faced the plague they realized the strength of their love and decided that life was not worth living without each other, so she returned to Oran. Likewise, Rambert believes he is a "stranger in this city" and wants more than anything to be reunited with his girlfriend. He believes he was "put on earth to be with a woman" and, despite mental health problems that arose due to the plague, his ability to love was initially unaffected. Thus, at the beginning of the "disgusting infestation", people remained steadfast in their ability to love, yet this absolute belief, for some, wavered slightly as the novel progressed. As the plague persisted, we saw a split in the acts.... ..half of paper... pain" that he had previously endured. He is unable to grieve appropriately, but rather accepts his suffering as part of life.His ability to show true emotions and love deeply, was stripped away from him at the hands of the "merciless plague".Through these two characters we see an exception to the general rule.Apart from a few few, the majority felt that one's potential to love was stronger than ever that the plague took away people's health both physically and mentally. Yet, despite this, it generally left the ability to love, in an excellent state, although not everyone remained capable of loving as before the infestation of the plague, most have endured emotional challenges and sustained, if not strengthened, their desire for human affection.