L'Hôte: Choosing between sides, not justice

Daru is put into the position by Balducci where he must choose a side. Daru must be with or against the Arab, he is not however presented with a choice of being for or against justice. There is no question that the Arab has committed a crime. The dilemma that Daru finds himself in though, and the threat at the end, demonstrates the way in which a conflict such as Algeria can become more about which side is right, rather than what is right. The Arab chooses to turn himself in, an acceptance of the crime that he has committed and a recognition that he has to be held to account, that justice must be served. The threat then ignores the issue of right and wrong. It focuses solely on the distinction between ‘us and them’, a distinction that Daru wishes to avoid and one which the title alludes to in the conflict between being both host and guest.