"Well, if you think unthinking bigots who fail to learn any lessons from the horrors of war and therefore try to make things at least a little better using the system as found are 'actual human beings', well, that's sad."
Which ones? The only characters I saw who actually acted like that were the ones in your story, acting at completely 180 degree odds from their normal behavior, coupled with a complete lack of compassion, mercy, or forgiveness on the part of anyone for anyone.