“I have watched them all day and they are the
same men that we are. I believe that I could walk
up to the mill and knock on the door and I would
be welcome except that they have orders to
challenge all travelers and ask to see their papers.
It is only orders that come between us. Those
men are not fascists. I call them so, but they are
not. They are poor men as we are. They should
never be fighting against us and I do not like to
think of the killing.”
― Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell
Tolls
In the passage, the protagonist expresses his
belief that the men guarding the mill are not
fascists, but rather poor men who are simply
following orders. Which of the following
statements best captures the protagonist's attitude
towards these men?