Sentence:  fearful of being mistaken for a Jew , he seeks <WSD>protection</WSD> in his Nazi uniform ; clinging to the enemy Jew idea , he is forced to overcome habits of politeness and neighborliness ; once in power he begins to give vent to a criminal opportunism that causes him to alternate between megalomania and envy of those above him . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  defense against financial failure; financial independence