The Greasers
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Ponyboy Curtis
The main protagonist of the book. His parents died when he was younger, so he lives with his two brothers, Sodapop and Darry. He's fourteen, and very intelligent; he even skipped a grade. Played by C. Thomas Howell in the film.
- Adaptational Wimp: In the final fight he gets beaten pretty badly. In the book, however, he actually puts up a decent fight.
- Badass Bookworm: He enjoys reading and can kick ass in a rumble.
- Berserk Button: People questioning if "Ponyboy" is his real name. Also, being called "white trash with long greasy hair".
- Big Brother Worship: When the gang is introduced his description of his brother Sodapop makes it obvious just how much he admires him. He even mentions loving Soda more than he did his own parents.
- Break the Cutie: He's the youngest member of the group, and he sure does go through a whole lot. Getting wrapped up in a murder, running away from home, dealing with the death of his best friend.
- Cloudcuckoolander: To some extent.
- Heroic RRoD: Just when you think he's had one, he finally passes out for three days after Dallas dies.
- The Hero: He's the center of the story. The last lines of the book suggest that the whole thing was a story he wrote for school.
- I Should Write a Book About This: At the end of the book he starts writing a story — suggested to be the very story of the novel — so that the rest of the world can know just what delinquent teens' lives are actually like.
- It's All My Fault: At one point in his Heroic BSoD he is determined to testify that he killed Bob; fortunately everyone can see how delirious he is and doesn't press him.
- Nobody Touches the Hair: He's really fond of his hair, and Johnny even tells him that he and Soda had the coolest hair in town. Too bad for Pony, because he has to cut and bleach it after he runs away.
- Tagalong Kid: Played with in that the gang consists of the childhood friends of his older brothers, but Steve seems to be the only one that truly considers him as such. He's shown to hang out with Dallas and Two-bit without the presence of either of his brothers, and is very close with Johnny.
- Took a Level in Badass: After being acquited in the trial, Ponyboy is confronted by some Socs out in the parking lot of a convenience store. Ponyboy notes that rather than feeling threatened he feels... nothing. He puts out his cigarette, breaks the bottom of his Pepsi bottle and approaches the Socs, who immediately go back inside their cars and drive off.
- Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: Both he and Sodapop are quick to remind people that yes, those are their legal names.
Johnny "Johnnycake" Cade
Sixteen-years-old and Pony's best friend. Both of his parents are abusive, and his real family is the gang. Played by Ralph Macchio in the film.
- Abusive Parents: His father beats him every time Johnny is home and his mother ignores him. When the nurse tells him his mom has come to see him, he tells her he doesn't want to see her, assuming she's angry at him for his troubles.
- Beware the Nice Ones/Beware the Quiet Ones: He was always nice, but after getting jumped, he became even quieter and started carrying a switchblade. He is the first of the Greasers to actually kill someone, using that very switchblade.
- Break the Cutie: Four months before the start of the story, Johnny got jumped by four Socs and got badly beaten, since then, Ponyboy describes him as being constantly jumpy and extremely sensitive.
- Death Seeker: The first half of the story has him as this somewhat, but getting critically injured in the fire led him to changing his mind about wanting to die.
- Hero Worship: As stated by Ponyboy, Johnny completely idolizes Dallas.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Johnny risks his life to rescue some children from the burning church in Windrixville. His actions help to get all the kids out safely, but he is critically injured when the burning building collapses in on him and eventually dies from his injuries.
- I Didn't Mean to Kill Him: Bob. Good thing he did though, or else Pony would be dead instead.
- In-Series Nickname: Johnnycake.
- Kill the Cutie: He dies in the hospital after saving children from a fire.
- Morality Pet: He's this to Dallas, who loves him more than anything else in the world. Johnny's death leads to Dallas having a total breakdown, ultimately provoking the police into shooting him.
- Older Than They Look: Ponyboy comments to himself that Johnny looks rather younger than his actual age of 16 and that it really bugs Johnny.
- Passing the Torch: After realizing he's going to die, Johnny writes a letter to Ponyboy asking him to get Dallas to see a sunset and see the good in the world, wanting Ponyboy to help Dallas like it helped him. Sadly deconstructed, because by the time Ponyboy reads the letter, it's too late to do anything to help Dallas.
- The Smart Guy: Turns out to be the wisest and most levelheaded.
- Team Pet: He's affectionately considered this to the greasers, and especially to Dallas.
- Too Good for This Sinful Earth: He's undoubtedly more pure of heart than just about everyone else in the story, and ultimately dies from his injuries saving children from a burning building.
Sodapop Curtis
Pony's older brother, the middle child. Tough, smart and handsome, he's a dropout who works at the same gas station as his best friend, Steve. Played by Rob Lowe in the film.
- Big Brother Instinct: Towards Ponyboy, though much less harshly than Darry.
- Chick Magnet: He is noted to have many female admirers.
- Everyone Loves Blondes: He's a blond Chick Magnet. His hair is noted to be one of his attractive features.
- The Heart: Isn't as much focused as the other characters, but provides support.
- Heroic BSoD: In the final chapter, he is finally overcome by everything that's happened, and what finally drives him to the breaking point is when Sandy returns his letter unopened.
- He has another one when he's finally had enough of his brothers' arguing and putting him in the middle, tearfully reminding them that all they have is each other.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Steve.
- Mr. Fanservice: If his gratuitous Shower Scene in the film adaptation had anything to say about it...
- Nice Guy: Is a genuinely easy-going and friendly guy.
- Only Sane Man: Often has to mediate between his brothers.
- Papa Wolf: Not to the same level as Darry, but still has his moments. After the rumble, Ponyboy sees him straddling an unconscious Soc muttering to himself. Darry later explains that the Soc was the one who kicked Ponyboy in the head and that Sodapop kept pounding him during the rest of the fight.
- Pretty Boy: Sodapop is often described by Ponyboy as looking like a movie star or a Greek God.
- Tragic Dropout: Subverted. To strangers, he appears to be this. In reality, he was never academically inclined and loves his job at the gas station, so he's content with his life.
- Who Names Their Kid "Dude"?: His birth certificate confirms that his name really is Sodapop. Ponyboy explains to everyone their dad was a unique guy, hence the unique names.
Darrel "Darry" Curtis Jr.
Pony and Soda's oldest brother, who took over the family after the death of their parents. He's often a jerk to Ponyboy, but this is really just how he expresses his feelings. Played by Patrick Swayze in the film.
- Aloof Big Brother: His relationship with Ponyboy has some strain, mainly because of all the other responsibilities he's saddled with.
- Anger Born of Worry: When Ponyboy comes home late, Darrel angrily chastises his brother, but he has a good reason to be angry. If he called the police, Pony would be taken out of his care and put in a boys home, meaning his only option was to wait at home with no idea if he brother was safe or not.
- Anti-Hero: Though less so in the film.
- Big Brother Instinct: Though Pony has his doubts that it’s really there.
- Big Good: As the oldest greaser, he's the unofficial leader.
- Blessed with Suck: Multiple times, Ponyboy mentions that the only thing that separates Darry from being a Soc is the gang. Because their parents had died, he had to forego college so that he could take care of Sodapop and Ponyboy and not have the brothers be separated.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's tough on Ponyboy and seems to view him as an annoyance, but he does love him and watches out for him.
- The Leader: Unofficial one, being the strongest and oldest.
- Manly Tears: Darry cries when he and Sodapop are reunited with Ponyboy at the hospital. In the novel, Darry is able to hold back his tears until after Ponyboy apologizes for running away, but in the film, Darry is full-on crying as soon as he sees Ponyboy and clutches him in relief.
- My God, What Have I Done?: When he gets into a fight with Ponyboy, he ends up knocking him to the ground, which causes Pony to run away. A letter from Sodapop later on reveals that Darry is deeply ashamed of what he did.
- Odd Name Out: Inverted. He's the only one of the Curtis siblings to actually have a normal name.
- Papa Wolf: He kept an eye out for Ponyboy during the rumble, assuming that Soda was able to handle himself.
- Promotion to Parent: Their parents were killed in a car accident, leaving him to figure out how to keep themselves fed and a roof over their heads.
- Team Dad: Team Big Brother is probably more appropriate, but all the other Greasers, even Dallas, look up to him as a leader.
- The Sixth Ranger: He wasn't originally a member of the Greasers, but became one in order to take care of his younger brothers instead of going to college.
- Tragic Dropout: He got a menial job in order to take care of his younger siblings after their parents died, instead of going on to college.
Dallas "Dally" Winston
The roughest member of the gang, who has also been to prison the most. He's Johnny's idol. In the film, he's played by Matt Dillon.
- Anti-Hero: When Pony tells him that he and Johnny murdered Bob, he helps them by giving them the supplies they’ll need to temporarily go up to an abandoned church.
- Despair Event Horizon: He loses it after Johnny's death.
- The Dreaded - Described as the toughest, meanest, with a mile long rap sheet. Ponyboy points out that Dally is so real he's scary.
- Freudian Excuse: Dally became a hardened thug because he would have died years ago if he didn't, his father didn't care about him and grew up on rough streets.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's resigned to the fact that he is a worthless criminal. It's even stated in the novel that he always gets what he wants, but that there isn't anything he wouldn't do for the other greasers.
- The Lancer: The most cynical of the greasers.
- Incoming Ham: During the rumble scene when he busts out of the hospital.Dallas: Don't you know a rumble's not a rumble WITHOUT ME!!!!
- Lovable Rogue: He has a huge criminal record and an even huger heart.
- Nominal Hero: He's one of the main characters, but he's got a huge criminal record and is easily the roughest of the Greasers.
- Token Evil Teammate: The most amoral behavior and with his background... yeah.
- Suicide by Cop: Tricks the police into shooting him by pointing an empty handgun after he robs a store after Johnny's death.
- Undying Loyalty: He may be a delinquent with a rap sheet a mile long, but once he's your friend, he's your friend for life.
Keith "Two-Bit" Matthews
Another member of the Greaser's gang. Played by Emilio Estevez in the film.
- Beware the Nice Ones / Beware the Silly Ones: Out of all the Greasers, Two-Bit is the least serious and one of the nicer ones of the bunch. However, after visiting Johnny in the hospital, he emphatically lets Mrs. Cade know that he has no time for her crap.Mrs. Cade: I HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO SEE HIM! HE'S MY SON!!! HE'D RATHER SEE THESE NO GOOD PUNKS THAN HIS OWN MOTHER!? You're Scum!
- The Big Guy: Though others would fit this position in the Five Man Band, this is basically Two-Bit’s only one.
- Ironically, though he is described in the novel as being about six feet tall, he is played in the film by 5' 6 1/2" Emilio Estevez.
- Brilliant, but Lazy: He probably could graduate if he weren't so lazy and fun-loving.
- Cloud Cuckoolander: He comes off this way due to constantly wisecracking. Ponyboy even calls him scatterbrained.
- Fascinating Eyebrow: Almost a tic for him.
- Large Ham: Larger than Dallas.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: His real name is Keith, but everyone, including his teachers, calls him "Two-Bit".
- Real Men Wear Pink: In the movie, Two-Bit is a big Mickey Mouse fan. He is typically seen wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt and, at the Curtis home, he enjoys his breakfast of chocolate cake and beer while raptly watching the Mickey Mouse cartoon Mickey's Trailer.
Steve Randle
Another member of the gang, who has been Soda's best friend for as long as he can remember. He doesn't particularly like Ponyboy, but he's not a jerkass. Played by Tom Cruise in the movie.
- Abusive Parents: His dad throws him out every once in a while, only to try to buy him back home.
- Grease Monkey: Works with Soda at the garage store and he is quite good at it.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Soda.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He is abrasive but cares about the gang. Ponyboy thinks that most of it comes from his pent up aggression toward his father.
- The Big Guy: Shares this with Two-Bit.
Socs
The rich kids from East Side with all the breaks. Sherri "Cherry" Valance
A high school cheerleader who Johnny and Pony meet at the movies. She takes a liking to Ponyboy, stating that he's not like other Greasers, and this was enough to eventually open her eyes to what they are really like. Dated Bob before he was killed by Johnny. Played by Diane Lane in the film.
- All Girls Want Bad Boys: Her boyfriend Bob and Dallas.
- Inverted into Single Woman Seeks Good Man with Ponyboy, whom she admits to liking since the moment they met.
- Alpha Bitch: Averted, although Ponyboy thinks she seems like the type at first.
- Fiery Red Head: Mostly towards Dallas at first. It's downplayed, though, as she's mostly a Nice Girl towards Pony and Johnny.
- 11th-Hour Ranger: She helps the greasers by acting as their spy for the rumble with the Socs. Then testified on Ponyboy and Johnny's behalf.
- The Mole: Sodapop calls her a spy, but Cherry doesn't see it that way. All she does is pass along that the brawl is planned to be a fistfight. Clearly, she was lied to.
- Not So Above It All: She tells Ponyboy that being a Soc isn't all it's cracked up to be, and is in fact a pretty empty existence.
- Only Known by Their Nickname: She states in the book that she's called "Cherry" because of her red hair. Her real name is Sherri.
- Redheads Are Ravishing: She gets some Ship Tease with Ponyboy.
- Ship Tease: Although she and Ponyboy acknowledge each other's attractiveness, they never go beyond friendship.
- What Does She See in Him?: Between having dated Bob and her feelings for Dallas, she has questionable choice in men.
Bob Sheldon
A popular Soc and Cherry Valance's boyfriend. He attacks Ponyboy and Johnny, which causes Johnny to kill him in self-defense. Played by Leif Garrett in the film.
- Alcohol-Induced Idiocy: Apparently it's only when he is drunk that he does so much bad stuff.
- Asshole Victim: Johnny only kills him in order to save Ponyboy's life; Bob was trying to drown him.
- Big Bad: The closest thing the book has to one since he's the Soc who bullies Pony and Johnny the most. After he dies about one-quarter of the way in, he becomes a posthumous Big Bad.
- Hidden Depths: According to Cherry, who says that he could be sweet sometimes. Randy also liked him for some reason.
- Jerkass: He's the epitome of what the greasers hate about the Socs. He's an overprivileged bully who went as far as to trying to drown Ponyboy when he's drunk.
- Power Fist: Bob wears three heavy rings on his hand for punching, and hit Johnny hard enough to give him a scar before the story started.
- Karmic Death: Gets killed by Johnny after he tries to drown Ponyboy in the park's fountain.
- Spoiled Brat: Randy even laments that he'd probably still be alive if his parents had disciplined him once in a while.
Randy Adderson
Bob's best friend, and one of the boys from the group of Socs that jumped Johnny on the night that Bob was killed. He refused to participate in the rumble. Played by Darren Dalton in the film.
- Dirty Coward: A possible interpretation.
- Heel–Face Turn: The day before the rumble, Randy seeks out Ponyboy to tell him that he (Randy) will not be participating. Not only that, but he practically pours his heart out to the younger boy, admitting that the Soc-Greaser feud is nothing but an exercise in futility and that he's so sick of all the fighting that he's ready to leave town.
- Hidden Depths: He's not just some jerkass with nothing to do but jump Greasers.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Possibly...? If any of the Socs reach this level, it's him (aside from Marcia and Cherry). He didn't stop David from almost drowning Ponyboy, but Bob's murder definitely triggers something inside of him.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: He decides to leave town and get a fresh start rather than participate in the rumble.
Paul Holden
A friend of Darry's while he was in high school. They were both on the football team, but he was able to go to college when Darry wasn't, and they now hate each other. Darry was able to release his jealousy on him during the rumble.
- Evil Former Friend: This is implied, as he and Darry used to be friends, but after years without seeing each other, they end up facing off at the rumble instead of making up.
- Informed Ability: The whole reputation of Paul playing on the same football team with Darry implies that he is just as tough as Darry. Yet Darry lays him out in the first few punches before he runs away.
- Jerk Jock: Played football with Darry and is one of the Socs.
- We Used to Be Friends: He used to be friends with Darry but both grew distant towards each other over the years to the point where they take each other on at the rumble.
Marcia
Cherry's best friend and Randy's (possibly former) girlfriend. She was with Cherry at the movie theater when they met Pony and Johnny.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: She only appears once in the beginning of the book before disappearing. She does, however, reappear in the short-lived TV series.
- Deadpan Snarker: She's got a very sharp wit, as shown when she and Two-Bit are joking around. Ponyboy notes they bounce off each other well.
