In the musical, the soldiers paid to have the girls for a night (or something like that). If I'm not mistaken, in the real Vietnam War, it was $10 to have a girl permanently and do whatever you want with her. Though if you're including Ellen in the depiction of women, I'd probably also say that's a part of the time. Ellen was angry at Chris for lying to her, but in the end, she's there to support him. Not the strongest independent female, but certainly not a weak character.
