Dominicans also resent the fact that Boyer, the ruler of an impoverished country, does not (or cannot) provision his army.

The occupying Haitian forces live off the land in Santo Domingo, commandeering or confiscating what they need.

Racial animosities also affect attitudes on both sides; black Haitian troops react with resentment toward lighter-skinned Dominicans, while Dominicans come to associate the Haitians' dark skin with the oppression and abuses of occupation.

Furthermore, Haitians, who associate the Roman Catholic Church with the French colonists who had so cruelly exploited and abused them before independence, confiscate all church property in the east, deport all foreign clergy, and sever the ties of the remaining clergy to the Vatican.

The occupation reinforces Dominicans' perception of themselves as different from Haitians with regard to culture, religion, race, and daily practices.