In both the movie and the novel there is a new theory presented for punishment. According to Heinlein, the best way to fight crime is to put people's survival at stake. He discusses the failure of democracies as they pamper prisoners and put them in a semi luxurious resort. Pain is the only way to actually motivate people into acting morally. This is a Hobbesian perspective where humans naturally act immorally unless they are given cause to do otherwise. Thus they require a strong government to prevent them all from turning into a war of all against all. This is somewhat supportive of a fascistic government but more likely just one which has a strong government, such as the government present in the novel.

People receive lashes for most of the crimes that they commit. Moreso than that, they do it publicly. Such public humiliation is necessary in order to teach them a lesson because they do not just feel the pain, they also lose their respect in society. In the movie, Johnny Rico suffers ten lashes when someone under his command is killed during a live fire exercise. In the novel there is another boy who receives lashes for striking a senior officer, which normally is an even worse crime which is punishible by death. These lessons are taught through the very threat of death, for that is the threat they all must face when they fight in the mobile infantry.