The novel Outsiders written by SE Hinton was published in 1967. The author tells the reader gangs. One named ‘greasers’ the other named ‘Socs’. They have a lot of differences, like different set of values and how the society see them. But they also have a lot of similarities, for example their extremely loyal to one another and they both hate each other.

One of the main difference is how the society perceive the two gangs. The society treats the greasers terribly, the day they are born, they are considered, ‘juvenile delinquents’. A perfect example of this is when Steve Randle is mimicking how to society think of them. "Greaser… greaser… greaser… Oh victim of environment, underprivileged, rotten no-count hood.” On the other hand, the Socs …show more content…
One of the ways Hinton has shown this is through Darry’s sacrifices. He could have easily been a Soc, but he sacrificed it so Ponyboy could have a future. Darry got a scholarship to a good college, but he refused to go, because Ponyboy and Soda would have been in foster care. Another example is how Johnny stabbed Bob to protect Ponyboy from drowning. He wasn’t selfish and didn’t run, even though he was terrified of the Socs. He protected his friend when he most needed it. This also applies to the Socs, it is shown when cherry said, "Ponyboy… I mean… if I see you in the hall at school or something and so hi, well it's not personal or anything, but…. We couldn't let our parents see us with you all. You're a nice boy and everything…". This displays the committed Cherry has to the rules and the social circle. It suggests she is an under a lot of pressure from her friends to stay loyal to the Socs and stick with the rules. They have a lot of similarities because they are in gangs. The problem is how the society seems them. This makes the stubborn and they don’t see the bigger picture. They can’t put themselves in others …show more content…
An illustration of this is when the Socs jump Johnny. The hatred towards Johnny is shown, by how badly they treated him. They didn’t just bully him, they hit him until he was bruised and blood was pouring out. Ponyboy describes this, “Johnny face was cut up and bruised and swollen and there was a wide gash from his temple to his cheek bone. He would carry that scar all his life. His white T-shirt was splattered with blood. I thought he might be dead; surely nobody could be beaten like that a live.” Another instance of the hatred between the gangs is the event between Darry and Paul. Darry hates the Soc so much. He hit his old high school friend Paul in the face, because he was a Soc. Ponyboy narrators this and explains, “He had been the best halfback on Darry's football team at high school and he and Darry used to buddy it around all the time. He was looking at Darry with an expression I couldn't quite place, but disliked. Contempt? Pity? Hate? All three? Why? Because Darry was standing there representing all of us, and maybe Paul felt only contempt and pity and hate for greasers? Darry hadn't moved a muscle or changed expression, but you could see he hated Paul now.” Hinton has made it clear they hate each other. They don’t care if it’s their best friend, if you’re a greaser you are considered an enemy and a