In The Outsiders, S.E. Hinton introduces readers to Ponyboy who lost his parents recently. He lives with his two brothers, Darry and Sodapop.   Ponyboy is a greaser, young men who live on the poor Eastern section of town. He and his friends are constantly at odds with the Socs, rich kids from the Western part of town.  Throughout the story, Hinton details Ponyboy's adventures with his gang as well personal struggles and conflicts associated with being a self-proclaimed outsider.

Set in the 1950s Oklahoma, The Outsiders is narrated by Ponyboy.  Hinton's detailed descriptive language thoroughly develops and visually enhances each character for readers.

"I turned my head to look at him and in the moonlight he looked like some Greek god come to earth. I wondered how he could stand being so handsome."

Hinton presents class issues as they affect teens and their self-esteem in a realistic, highly dramatic fashion.

"It aint fair! I cried passionately. It aint fair that we have all the rough breaks! Things were rough all over, all right. All over the East side. It just didnt seem right to me."

The most intriguing feature of the novel is Hinton's interpretation of gang culture. The actions of Ponyboy and his friends contribute to the overall adventurous yet suspense-filled mood of the novel.

"Greasers are almost like hoods, we steal things and drive  old souped-up cars and hold up gas stations and have a gang fight once in a while."

One of the major themes in The Outsiders is that class- the haves and have-nots contributes significantly to the overall social development of some teens. Ponyboy and his friends felt helpless about their class status. They did not feel proud of their backgrounds. They felt like outsiders.  As a result, many of their actions were self-destructive and violent.

"I didnt know exactly what I meant, but I was thinking about Johnnys father being a drunk and his mother a selfish slob. Two-Bits mother being a barmaid to support him and his kid sister after their father ran out on them, and Dally-wild cunning turning into a hoodlum because hed die if he didnt, and Steve-his hatred for his father coming out in his soft bitter voice and the violence of his temper."