Who is the main antagonist of Fahrenheit 451?

If you consider the way that Faber and Beatty seem to
engage in a furious battle for Montag's soul in the middle section of the book, it
becomes clear that the central protagonist is Beatty himself. Of course, he does stand
for the entire system of repression and censorship that dominates Montag's world, but he
is the main opponent that Montag faces. Note how he presents his views to Montag, in
opposition to what Faber says:

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"Well," said Beatty, "the crisis is past and all
is well, the sheep returns to the fold. We're all sheep who have strayed at times. Truth
is truth, to the end of reckoning, we've cried. They are never alone that are
accompaneid with noble thoughts, we've shouted to
ourselves."

Of course,
ironically, Beatty used quotations from literature to support his argument and also to
refute the possible arguments of Montag in response. It is Beatty that stands for the
system of repression that Montag rages against, and it is Beatty that Montag burns in
response, indicating his position as the antagonist of the
novel.