“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?