Wow, @alheath, there are several themes going on here, about power, self-respect, and the willingness to sacrifice those things for money in your pocket. That is powerful, especially given Monica's profession.

If I'm reading this right, Joe has a girl in the car and wants Monica to get in the car with them and do his bidding for a night. But she sees the girl's bruises and realizes what she'll have to sacrifice to earn the money. So she chooses self-respect. Did I get that right?