In Superman No. 1, we are introduced to Superman as a noble savior of women. After a short backstory, we are thrust into Superman saving an innocent woman from being executed. Then we see Superman defending a victim of domestic violence. And finally, Superman saves Lois from being kidnapped by the man in the club. Our first impression of Superman is he is a noble defender of women, and this likely gave readers a good first impression of the superhero. In the time of the popular damsel in distress trope, how could you not root for Superman and want to read more?
Another thing I noticed is that virtually all the bad guys wear green. The butler who tries to stop Superman from speaking to the Governor, the abusive husband, the guy at the club all wear green. The car that chases down Lois after the confrontation at the club is green as well. In the end, the corrupt senator wears green too. Could this signify greed to the readers? And if you are greedy you must be bad? A decade out from the great stock market crash, greed and wealth would certainly be on the minds of the readers of Superman.
Piggybacking on your greed=bad guy idea, I definitely think that Siegel and Shuster were intent on making the connection between corporate greed and being evil as apparent as possible. Take the two most prominent baddies in the first five books: the mine owner and the munitions seller. These two men literally sacrifice human life for their corporate greed, and are set apart from the thugs who work under them in their pure desire for money over everything else. In the end, Superman forces them to renounce their greed in the name of humanity, and only then are the stories resolved.
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