There is not much doubt that Heléne is a dissolute woman. She flaunts her sexuality all over town. Wherever she goes men follow her erotic trail and she does nothing to discourage them. The more often we see Heléne the more dissolute she becomes. She's like a 19th century Madonna brazenly flirting her way through the drawing rooms of Russian high society.
With Dolokov, we find a different flavor of vulgarity. The thing about Dolokov is that he is not burdened with many original ideas. For him, the world is a Manichean pasture divided into opposing camps populated with either friends or enemies. How one manages to get admitted into either camp is not entirely clear. But it probably involves much flattery along with a healthy tolerance for crude behavior. In truth, Dolokov is not much more than a Russian copy of a southern good old boy. Not too bright, and loyal to a fault. His venal encouragement of Rostov's abduction of Natasha cannot be explained except by reference to the biblical snake in the Garden of Eden. What makes Dolokov especially dangerous is that he, unlike the simple-minded Anatole, is cunning and utterly fearless.
Dolokov allows himself to be seen repeatedly with Pierre's wife, then acts surprised that anyone would take offense. He is rude and obnoxious. He offends Pierre publicly with his callous joke at dinner. It seems to me that Dolokov was baiting Pierre, hoping for a showdown. In that, he succeeds. He provokes Pierre into a duel that Dolokov thinks he cannot lose. But lose he does, and unfortunately for others in the story, Pierre does not kill Dolokov but only wounds him. It seems that snakes have a strong instinct for survival.