I agree Joseph K, they were certainly two of the most wilfully? deluded characters in the book as to Kurtz's real nature (psychotic megalomaniac, would probably cover it) Yep the Dennis Hopper character was pretty close to the Russian trader's worship of Kurtz. Trying to convince Marlow of his 'genius' and how Kurtz "expanded his mind" he was lucky it never landed up on a stick beside the rest.
I know Conrad gets the Misogynist label hung on him as the gender politics theme gets pulled out of the book but I don't agree, I think he was a typical man of his time and 'class' he and Kurtz both describe women as belonging in their own 'beautiful world', kept apart from all the ugliness and brutality of life, as Marlow talks to Kurtz's Fiance I think there's also an undercurrent of exasperation with her attitude as she describes the fantasy she has of him. He can't bring himself to enlighten her, being of the belief that women are too delicate, ( or should I say middle/upper class women - working class women were never 'protected' from this reality and were fully exploited as were their children throughout industrialisation of the 19th century).
Sorry, I've ran on too long, but your right it is such a complex book and does it matter that it is on school reading lists? so is "To Kill A Mockingbird" and I still love that. You can't always be reading Irvine Welsh and Scott McClanahan.