In The Power and the Glory, author Graham Greene establishes a clear juxtaposition between his protagonist, the whiskey priest, and his antagonist, the lieutenant.

The whiskey priest is, in spite of his vice of alcohol, a man firmly rooted in faith. He cares so much so about his religion that he decides to keep practicing Catholicism even after it is outlawed by the Mexican government. The priest feels called to help the people; even though hiding away would ensure his safety, he can't resist returning to the streets to help wounded and dying people who want the blessing and reassurance of their faith.

The lieutenant, in contrast, stands firmly against organized religion. He is a die-hard socialist, and he sees it as his duty to extinguish the belief of any remaining followers of the Catholic church. His methodology is, in comparison to the priest's, heartless and cruel; he decides to shoot any villager who will not give up the location of the priest.

In spite of their polar opposite views on religion, there is one element that unites the whiskey priest and the lieutenant, which is their sense of moral calling. Both characters are willing to go to extreme lengths to perform what they believe is their duty on this earth; their methods and rationale may be different, but they are both men of conviction.