... With the firm encouragement of her uncle, Pierre Guerre, Bertrande resorts to court action in order to have the truth identified. She is convinced the truth is definite and obtainable, "Little sister, how can I deny the truth." However the courts show little interest in discovering the truth, acting only to achieve legal justice. The sole purpose of the legal system is not to determine the truth; it is to achieve legal justice. The trial process is not constructed in a way which suits a search for the truth. The novel reveals that the courts rely on the testimony of witnesses and other evidence to prove the case before them. The court can only weigh up the evidence and look for the proof. Bertrande is courageous and determined in the witness box, yet the court is utterly dismissive, questioning her reaction ("No, not death.") to the Rieux courts' sentence of ...

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