"Barn Burning" by William Faulkner

…

…only by who was paying. In life after the war he has not changed one bit. He travels from farm to farm, sharecropping to provide for his family. When he feels pressure from an authority he takes the power away from them by burning what they own. His allegiance to an employer lasts only as long as he retains the power. Once that is gone, he simply takes it back by force, and moves on.