Johnny and Sodapop

Ponyboy described Johnny as "Smaller than the rest, with a slight build. He has big black eyes in a dark tanned face; his hair is jet-black and heavily greased and combed to the side, but it is so long that it falls in shaggy bangs across his forehead. He always has a nervous, suspicious look in his eyes."

Johnny reminds Ponyboy of a little puppy that had been kicked too many times[2]. His hair is always greasy, and he wears a dark t-shirt with a sky-blue denim jacket and jeans. He has a scar on his left cheek from when he was jumped and beaten severely by a group of Socs, the gash being left by the rings worn by one of the Socs who attacked him. Johnny is very quiet, not getting in the way of the gang very often. This is a result of constantly being neglected and verbally abused by his mother and beaten by his alcoholic father. He is able to hold his own at a rumble, but distances himself from the running and common conflict of being a greaser as often as he can manage, because of the stigma that follows the greasers. He was nearly killed by a group of Socs one night when he was jumped while walking alone. Since that day the gang always made sure that they kept an eye on Johnny, knowing that they would be less vulnerable if they were at least in a group of two. However, this proves not to be the case when Johnny and Ponyboy are jumped one night after they ran away from their neighborhood. While he was in the hospital he mentions to Dallas that he thought that rumbles were pointless and that they don't amount to anything.

Sodapop is described by Ponyboy to be "movie star handsome," and has silky, dark gold hair (described as real tuff) that he combs back. He has dark brown, dancing, recklessly laughing eyes and a goofy grin that you can't help but love (which is noted by Ponyboy after getting jumped by the Socs). Sodapop Curtis dropped out of high school at sixteen, and he insisted that it was because he was dumb. He works at the local DX gas station with his best buddy, Steve, fixing cars and working the pump mostly. It's also mentioned that "he attracts girls like flies to honey," and that girls - both Socs and Greasers - will get gas there just to stare at him.

He is idolized by his younger brother, Ponyboy, but feels like a middle-man being fought over by between both brothers in a "tug-a-war" between them.

In the book, it is also said by Ponyboy that Soda enjoys dancing or a drag race without even getting near alcohol, and that "it's rare to find a kid in our neighborhood who doesn't drink once in a while. But Soda never touches a drop. He doesn't need to. He gets drunk on just plain living". Sodapop enjoys racing, fighting, dancing and basically anything that would blow off steam.

When asked by his younger brother why he liked to fight, he simply replied that it was fun and a challenge for him.

Ponyboy thinks of him as a funny freight train with legs.