"This one is a failure, and had to be, since it was written by a pillar of salt." (pg. 22)
This quote is an allusion to the story of Lot's wife in the Bible. As the narrator notes, she was warned not to look back on the destruction of the city. However, she did turn around, and because of this, God turned her into a pillar of salt. The author is alluding to her humanity as she turns around to view all the lives that are being destroyed. Even though these people were corrupt and being punished by God, she could not help that her heart went out to them. The narrator is comparing himself to Lot's wife. Even though some of the people in his story are not necessarily good, he still feels for them. It is for this reason that there is no clear antagonist. The narrator's humanity makes it impossible for him to turn his back on any character and turn them into the villain.
I agree. Although Vonnegut creates descriptions of characters that could potentially be antagonists (i.e. Paul Lazarro and his unquenchable thirst for revenge) he never really spends enough time on other characters outside of Billy to set up an antagonist.
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