Complex sentence: General Albernaz, who is a neighbor of Quaresma, is a miserable man: beside his high title, he never fought a single battle--he lies about military deeds, and in fact, he just achieved the generalship because of his many years in service.
Split into simpler sentences: General Albernaz, who is a neighbor of Quaresma, is a miserable man: in spite of his his high title, he never fought a single battle. He lies about military deeds, and in fact, he only achieved generalship because of his many years in service.