Free Choice

The book that I am currently reading is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith. The big question that I have for this book is, Why is it so important to Mr. Bennett that his five daughters, Jane, Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine, and Lydia, are trained in the deadly arts (killing zombies)?

I understand that he wants his daughters to be able to protect themselves, but to him it's more important that they can kill zombies than it is that they're happy. The girls are looked down upon by many important people due to the fact that their first instinct is always to kill. They don't really care much about how they look or act around anybody because their father taught them that it isn't as important as fighting.

"Elizabeth lifted her skirt, disregarding modesty, and delivered a swift kick to the creature's head, which exploded in a cloud of brittle skin and bone." (Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies page 28)