The Moon is Down - Colonel Lanser is the Antagonist?

Right from the start, I could tell that Colonel Lanser would be the main antagonist. When we first met him, I was really confused because he was acting so nice and polite. It made me pretty suspicious, but as the book progressed, we learn that that is just who he is. He is just the polite leader of the invaders. His goal from the beginning of the novel is to occupy the town with as little trouble as possible. He knows that their army needs the coal from the coal mines that are beneath the town, and he also knows that his army will need access to their fish. The novel progresses and we learn that Colonel Lanser has actually been through a war before. We can only assume that he's talking about World War I. Despite his rank in the army, his opinions on war were full of hatred. His war experience in the past made him understand its harsh realities, which would explain why he did not want to cause any problems during his seige over the town. I noticed that as I read the novel, I started to sympathize with the soldiers despite the fact that they are supposed to be the enemy. Lanser also seemed to be really reluctant with his takeover of the town. He pretty much let the government run the same way for the most part besides making the people give his army coal. He seemed almost apologetic that he had conquered the town.  "I'm very sorry about this. I have a job to do. You surely recognize that. We don't act on our own judgment. There are rules laid down for us. Rules made in the Capitol." (Steinbeck 47). Because of this, we, the readers, become very conflicted as to which side we are on. Through the events of the book, we unfortunately see Colonel Lanser's attitude go from polite and kind to bitter. We can see that, like the rest of his men, he is getting lonely, paranoid, and homesick. In the end, Colonel Lanser and his army are only doing the things they are because they have been told to. It leads me to believe that they are not truly the antagonists here. They are more like puppets for the real antagonist, who is the person they refer to as their "Leader."

Steinbeck, John. The Moon Is Down. New York: Penguin Classics, 1942. Print.