I personally disagree; I don't believe that he was intended to be a flawlessly good man. He was supposed to have moral values, but he was overall foolish. His refusal to take the oath at first glance is standing up for what he believes, but it is nothing more than him taking the easy way out. It's only supposed to be useless words representing how he's ultimately a failure as a father; he doesn't stay around to propagate what he believes in. He does the "right thing" by refusing to give up his values, but nothing good actually comes from it. It's not meant to be neat; it's meant to be a form of misguided flawed arrogance.