Final answer:
A Special Permit may refer to a tacit allowance for servicemen to circumvent some rules of conduct, but strict societal rules like not swearing in the presence of a woman were enforced, with violators facing fines.
Step-by-step explanation:
A Special Permit was likely a means for military personnel to bend the strict rules of conduct while on leave, particularly those regarding the wearing of uniforms off-base. MPs (military police) were responsible for maintaining decorum among servicemen, and wearing uniforms made soldiers easily identifiable, thus helping MPs regulate military behavior. To avoid this scrutiny, servicemen sometimes used "locker clubs" to rent civilian clothes while their military attire was stored safely.
However, the military did enforce certain societal rules even among servicemen on leave. For example, a man could be fined for swearing in the presence of a woman. This shows that while some rule-breaking was tolerated, there were still consequences for certain violations of decorum, particularly those that transgressed social mores of the time.