He lived a life of poverty. He was able to eat and sleep under a shelter, but ended with having no possession at all. He lived as an outcast. To tell the truth, in Djemila, he gained the trust or the friendship of no one. He had a refined culture, and was known to read, and sometimes write, for pleasure. He was force of nature, and people saw in their body and beauty the incarnation of a god. He was iron-willed, achieving any goal he set.