What does it all mean?

Twice a day, at eleven and six, the old man takes the dog out for a walk. They haven't changed their route in eight years. You can see them in the rue de Lyon, the dog pulling the man along until old Salamano stumbles. Then he beats the dog and swears at it...He was saying, "Filthy, stinking bastard!" (27)

He'd beaten her till she bled. He'd never beaten her before. "I'd smack her around a little, but nice-like, you might say. She'd scream a little. I'd close the shutters and it always ended the same way. But this time it's for real. And if you ask me, she still hasn't gotten what she has coming." (31)

After the funeral you are introduced to new characters in Meursault's life. We meet the girl he goes on a date with, Celeste from the restaurant, and his two neighbors. The two neighbors were perhaps the oddest part of the rather uneventful first three chapters. First, Salamano is introduced. He immediately gains the reputation as the dog beater. He comes across as a very violent person that even beats his dog just for being there. Then the other neighbor that invites Meursault over dinner also has a violent side. He very openly talked about beating his ex-girlfriend. There is no sign that these two people are connected. There are no signs that Meursault has struggled in any way with abuse in his life. We just get two very violent characters that left me a little confused. Perhaps these neighbors set us up for a deeper meaning down the road on personal relationships. Or maybe they are just there to help us see inside Meursault's jumbled mind. It will be interesting to see how the story progresses with this unique cast of characters.