All 5 Uses of

contrast
in
Steppenwolf

Then again, I like the contrast between my lonely, loveless, hunted, and thoroughly disorderly existence and this middle-class family life.†

contrast = notable difference

He was not at ease with violent and exceptional persons or with criminals and outlaws, and he took up his abode always among the middle classes, with whose habits and standards and atmosphere he stood in a constant relation, even though it might be one of contrast and revolt.
*

contrast = something notably different

We came of contrasted races and spoke languages in which no two words were akin.†

"In my young days," I remarked sadly, "these two musicians passed as the most extreme contrasts conceivable."†
*

Such contrasts, seen from a little distance, always tend to show their increasing similarity.†

Definitions:

(1) (contrast as in: contrast their writing styles)
point to differences between; or compare to show differences
(2) (contrast as in: there is a contrast)
a difference -- especially a notable difference; or the side-x-side arrangement of things that draws attention to an unmissable difference
(3) (contrast as in: sharpen the picture contrast)
the difference between tones of an image -- as in a photo or video -- such as the quality of brightness or the intensity of shades or colors