Though, these different attitudes towards Spanish rule arose from the a variety of sources – one was a feeling of being "humiliated and disgusted" (379) originating from an innate sensitiveness to their own pride – the other was an uncertainty of the future that encouraged some to adopt their new masters to an extent in the hopes of gaining something better for themselves
This split was manifest in two distinct ways – the patriots and the demure.
The patriot's humiliation and disgust created a fire in him. The patriot believed that his country's liberation was assured, with the only questions remaining being "When?" and "How?" The patriot's disgust was not only directed toward the occupiers, but towards himself. The value of the conquered was systematically broken down by the Spanish, as the Filipino groups were slowly being transformed into idealized subjects – those without mind or heart, just a knack for labor. It was only when he was allowed to ponder his own condition and realize that his pride was wounded, did he begin to see this fire within. "Though [the flame] had been awakened in only a few hearts, its flame nevertheless was surely and fiercely propagated." (379) This propagation occurred due to common grievances of the conquered of his situation, and quickly spread to the few others who carried similar fires themselves. Though, these isolated firebrands never garnered enough force to pose any real threat to colonialism. This phenotype of opposition was vastly different from another.
The firebrands who fomented active hatred were accompanied by another subset of Filipinos who quietly accepted their subservience in disillusioned resentment. These are the ones who extended their hands to the chains and bowed their heads. (429) The Spanish not only deprived Filipinos of their virtue and culture, but also attempted to increase their tendency towards vice.