How powerful <PERSON> is in the beginning of "An Outcast of the Islands"?
I'm first time reading a novel of <PERSON>, I was inspired and revered him since I saw Apocalypse Now. But as <PERSON><PERSON> is regarded as a very skillful, detailful and prolific writer so I must admit that my knowledge is a little low to fully understand him, therefore confusion arises and I have to come here for clearing up a doubt.
In the first chapter of An Outcast of the Islands, <PERSON> (the main character of the novel) is described as very powerful and somewhat as sophomaniac. To quote from the book:
[...] he kept them(Da Souza tribe) singing his praises in the midst of their laziness, of their dirt, of their immense and hopeless squalor: he was greatly delighted.
They lived (Da Souza tribe) now by the grace of his will. This was power. <PERSON> loved it.
And he depicted him as intelligent by
<PERSON> knew all about himself. On the day when, with many misgivings, he ran away from a Dutch East-Indiaman in Samarang roads, he had commenced that study of himself, of his own ways, of his own abilities, of those fate-compelling qualities of which led him toward that lucrative position which he now filled.
So, these remarks suggest that <PERSON> was very powerful and law himself, and more importantly he himself made him. But a little later in the same chapter, when <PERSON> is going home the book writes
Leaning against one of the brick pillars, Mr. <PERSON>, the cashier of Hudig & Co., smoked the last cheroot of the evening. Amongst the shadows of the trimmed bushes Mrs. 381
<PERSON> crunched slowly, with measured steps, the gravel of the circular path before the house. "There's <PERSON> going home on foot- and drunk I fancy," said Mr. <PERSON> over his shoulder. "I saw him jump and wave his hat".
It's been mentioned in the first chapter that <PERSON> is a clerk for Hudig & co., and at the same time his prowess is talked about. The confusion is that in my society and as far as I have seen, clerks are the ones who give receipts for something, to be a bit direct: they are employees of comparingly low power. So, given that <PERSON> is the head of the whole Da Souza tribe and everyone lives by his grace, how come Mr. <PERSON> makes such remarks on him? And how could he be just a clerk of a company when he got such powers (whole army of that tribe) which hardly anyone in that company have?
Kindly explain me the situation of <PERSON> as can be deduced from the first and second chapter of An Outacst of the Islands.
UPDATE: In the third chapter it is written that
He had married her [<PERSON>] to please <PERSON>, and the greatness of his sacrifice ought to have made her happy without any further exertion on his part.
I’m lost even more here as to who <PERSON> was and how marrying <PERSON> would have pleased him? <PERSON> & co. can be imagined as a company which transports its products over the whole Europe and these Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia. I’m unable to understand how Da Souza tribe is related to Hudig & co. 950