▁often ▁sh odd ily - construct ed ▁living ▁qu arters , ▁getting ▁an ▁education , ▁and , ▁in ▁some ▁cases , ▁prepar ing ▁for ▁event ual ▁release . ▁Many ▁of ▁those ▁who ▁were ▁employed , ▁particularly ▁those ▁with ▁responsible ▁or ▁absor bing ▁jobs , ▁made ▁these ▁jobs ▁the ▁focus ▁of ▁their ▁lives . ▁However , ▁the ▁pay ▁rate ▁was ▁deliber ately ▁set ▁far ▁lower ▁than ▁what ▁in m ates ▁would ▁have ▁received ▁outside ▁camp , ▁an ▁administrative ▁response ▁to ▁w ides p read ▁rum ors ▁that ▁Japanese ▁Americans ▁were ▁receiving ▁special ▁treatment ▁while ▁the ▁larger ▁public ▁suffered ▁from ▁w art ime ▁short ages . ▁Non - sk illed ▁labor ▁earned ▁$ 1 4 / month ▁while ▁do ctors ▁and ▁dent ists ▁made ▁a ▁pal try ▁$ 1 9 / month . ▁ ▁Many ▁found ▁cons olation ▁in ▁religion , ▁and ▁both ▁Christian ▁and ▁Buddh ist ▁services ▁were ▁held ▁regularly . ▁ ▁O thers ▁concentr ated ▁on ▁h obb ies ▁or ▁sought ▁self - im prov ement ▁by ▁taking ▁adult ▁classes , ▁r anging ▁from ▁American ization ▁and ▁American ▁history ▁and ▁government ▁to ▁voc ational ▁courses ▁in ▁secret arial ▁skills ▁and ▁book keep ing , ▁and ▁cultural ▁courses ▁in ▁such ▁things ▁as ▁i ke b ana , ▁Japanese ▁flower ▁arrangement . ▁The ▁young ▁people ▁spent ▁much ▁of ▁their ▁time ▁in ▁recre ational ▁purs uits : ▁news ▁of ▁sports , ▁the atr ics , ▁and ▁d ances ▁fills ▁the ▁pages ▁of ▁the ▁camp ▁newspaper . ▁ ▁Living ▁space ▁was ▁minimal . ▁Famil ies ▁lived ▁in