There was no middle-ground for women of the mid-20th century: either they were pregnant and submissive or immoral prostitutes without self-respect. The former were obviously accepted by society and the latter, scorned. However, both groups were subservient to men and treated, to various degrees, as objects.
Because Sal and his crew were the outcasts in a fearful nation of conformity, they naturally clung to the taboo of sex for pleasure and hunted for "pretty girls" wherever they went. It's interesting, though, that our narrator seems to have more of a conscience than his other friends, particularly Dean. In Part III he begins to learn about the real nature and emotions of women. His embarrassment about Dean's treatment of Camille and his admission of liking for Galatea both underscore this change in philosophy. Still, Sal was never able to face his male friends and demand their respect for women. This lack of courage was representative of his ungrounded sense of self: though he was an outcast to society, he could never alienate himself from the habits and philosophies so essential to his own group.
Because Sal and his crew were the outcasts in a fearful nation of conformity, they naturally clung to the taboo of sex for pleasure and hunted for "pretty girls" wherever they went. It's interesting, though, that our narrator seems to have more of a conscience than his other friends, particularly Dean. In Part III he begins to learn about the real nature and emotions of women. His embarrassment about Dean's treatment of Camille and his admission of liking for Galatea both underscore this change in philosophy. Still, Sal was never able to face his male friends and demand their respect for women. This lack of courage was representative of his ungrounded sense of self: though he was an outcast to society, he could never alienate himself from the habits and philosophies so essential to his own group.
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