The Outsiders

The Curtis gang is a gang of Greasers to which the Curtis brothers and other close friends belong. They are a very close-knit bunch and see each other as family. They could be considered more of a friend group than an actual gang, since only one of their members regularly commits crimes.

There are seven main members: Darrel "Darry" Curtis (unofficial leader) Sodapop Curtis Ponyboy Curtis Johnny Cade Dallas "Dally" Winston Steve Randle Keith "Two-Bit" Mathews

Johnny Cade is considered the gang's "pet" because he is scared and quiet in most situations and the others look to protect him. Sodapop is perhaps the most compassionate and the one the others can talk to and bring their problems to. Steve is Soda's best friend and the two of them are inseparable. Steve can often come off as cocky but he is also fiercely loyal to the group. Two-Bit is the "joker" of the group because he often makes wise cracks and goofs off. However, at other times, he can be serious and show a good deal of intelligence. Darrel is considered the unofficial leader because he is the strongest, oldest, and tries to be an older brother figure to the others. Ponyboy is the sensitive one who is the "kid" of the group and is more artistically inclined and has little interest in violence. Dallas is the most aggressive one in the gang and the most willing to fight or cause trouble. He is the only one to show major criminal behavior and has already been to prison. He is hauled in whenever a crime is committed in the area and has a long police record.

PONYBOY MICHAEL CURTIS Age: 14 years old Ponyboy is the youngest of the greaser gang. In the novel, Ponyboy has light-brown hair and greenish-gray eyes. He has a good build for his size and is a fast runner. At the beginning of the novel, Ponyboy's hair is long and dark, but is cut short and bleached blond while he and Johnny are on the run. He is described as good-looking and resemblant of Sodapop by several characters, though he disagrees. Ponyboy is a fourteen-year old greaser who lives with his two older brothers, Sodapop and Darry on the lower-class east side of Tulsa, Oklahoma. His parents were killed in an automobile accident just eight months before The Outsiders takes place. Ponyboy, like Sodapop, is under Darry's legal custody and must stay out of trouble in order to remain with him. He gets good grades in school and is a superb athlete (runs track) but pals around with the local hoods, his gang of greasers consisting of him, his brothers Soda and Darry, Steve Randle, Johnny Cade, Dally Winston, and Two-Bit Matthews. Darry characterizes Ponyboy as lacking common sense. Ponyboy agrees with this assessment. He is smart at school, but sometimes he just doesn't think properly. These occasions get Ponyboy into trouble that he could avoid. This aspect of his character evolves throughout the story into maturity. He is fairly quiet (though not as much as Johnny), and only opens up to a few people. He is Darrel (Darry) and Sodapop (Soda)’s brother.

-Comforts you by telling you everything he likes about you -Kisses someone he really loves in the rain -Occasionally found in a cupboard/closet with cotton balls stuffed in his ears reading a book -Would call his partner: Mine, Sunset, or Mi Amor -This little shit likes vanilla cake more than chocolate -pecks kisses on the cheek, chin, nose, and then on the lips

JOHNNY ANDREW CADE Age: 16 years old (though usually described as looking younger) 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 and was lost in a crowd of strangers. 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.

-Comforts by saying stuff like "Hey, man, it's alright. I hate seeing you sad... Makes me sad." -Would shyly ask someone out if he loved them -Sometimes gets sat on by other members of the gang since he's just so small and quiet -Would call his partner: Doll, Love, Darlin' -Calls pumpkins "Halloween Apples" and mixed up the names for some things like that. -Would give slow and soft kisses

SODAPOP PATRICK CURTIS Age: 16–going–on–17 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. 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. He is Darrel (Darry) and Ponyboy (Pony, Pone)’s brother.

-Holds you (asks before pulling you into his lap) to comfort you -Wipes away your tears after an argument -Combs his hair in front of the mirror for hours sometimes -Calls his partner: Love, Sweetheart, Honey -Would get an album of Polaroids of you and him for Valentine's day -Gives Over-the-moon happy kisses

STEVE RANDLE Age: 17 years old Steve is seventeen years old. He is tall, lean, cocky, and smart. He likes to comb his thick, greasy hair in complicated and messy swirls, and he's been Sodapop's best friend since grade school. Steve's specialty is cars. He works at the DX gas station with Sodapop. Steve also considers Pony "a tag along." Steve is neither described much. According to Ponyboy, Darry is nicknamed "Superman" or "Muscles" by his fellow Greasers, but Steve once made the mistake of calling him "all brawn and no brain," and Darry almost shattered Steve's jaw. Although Steve acts rude and cocky at times, he cares for all his friends/gang members like when he told Johnny not to worry about the Socs coming into their neighborhood. Ponyboy said that if Sodapop were to be killed, Steve would kept on "fighting and hating".

-Comforts by putting an arm around you -Carries a partner home bridal style after they fell asleep on him at a football game -Gets grease stains and cake crumbs everywhere -Calls his partner: Beautiful, Sunshine, Gorgeous -kisses on the neck- "mine"

DALLAS “DALLY” TUCKER WINSTON Age: 17 years old Dallas Winston is said to have an elfish face with high cheekbones, a pointed chin, small, sharp animal teeth, and ears like a lynx. Dally didn't like haircuts nor hair oil, so his almost white-blonde hair (likely Platinum-Blonde) fell over his forehead in wisps. He had a height of 6'2", and had blazing blue eyes which Ponyboy describes as "cold with all the hatred in the world," and additionally, "Towheaded and shifty-eyed, Dally was anything but handsome. Yet in his hard face there was character, pride, and a savage defiance of the world.", and is also constantly described as mean-looking. He wears dark blue jeans, and, he is featured in, a dark brown leather bomber jacket and a black shirt; he gives the jacket to Ponyboy when he comes to Dallas for help after Johnny kills Bob. After that, he instead wears a dark blue jean jacket. He also wears a Saint Christopher’s necklace that he had reclaimed from his girlfriend after she cheated on him while he was in jail. Dallas is hardened from a tough upbringing. He spent three years on the wild side of New York and was arrested at the young age of ten. Dallas was also treated poorly by his father which contributed to his toughness. The state of his mother is unknown. He says to Johnny at one point "My old man doesn't give a hang if I'm in jail dead in a car wreck or drunk in the gutter. That don't bother me none." He is mean to many people such as Cherry, but it is shown he cares for his gang and treats them like family. For example, he told Johnny "Now that I'm out [of prison], I'm gonna make it my business to get the guy who did that to your face".

-Comforts by (reluctantly) saying "Jesus Christ,just hug me. Please." -Would fight a soc if they called someone he loved ugly -Clicks the tunes of song with his cigarette lighter -Calls his partner: Babe, My sweet, Good-lookin' -Was the "Johnny Cade" of his gang back in New York when he was 10 years old -"Let me show you how much you mean to me" kisses. (also kisses on neck like Steve)

KEITH “TWO-BIT” MATHEWS Age: 18 ½ years old Two-Bit Mathews is around six feet tall, stocky in build, and is very proud of his long, rust-colored sideburns. He had gray eyes and is always wearing a wide grin. Two-Bit is six feet tall as described by Ponyboy Curtis. Two-Bit's hair is described as 'rust colored.' Two-Bit is a wise-cracking, fun-loving, kind of crazy guy. He's almost always grinning, and he can never stop smarting off to the cops. Ponyboy once states, "He really couldn't help it. Everything he said was so irresistibly funny, that he just had to let the police in on it to brighten up their dull lives" (which was how he put it to Ponyboy once). He gets drunk often, but it's kind of hard to tell when he is from when he's sober. From what is shown, Two-Bit enjoys watching Mickey Mouse, a cartoon by Walt Disney, and he wears two shirts with Mickey Mouse on the front: he wears an orange one with sleeves, and a gray sleeveless shirt. His best friend is Tim Shepard, his favorite gang member is Johnny, and his least favorite gang member is Dally.

-Comforts by trying REALLY hard to make you smile by doing anything -Cuddles up with someone he loves watching Mickey Mouse -Turns on the hot water faucet every time someone is in the shower -Calls his partner: Minnie, Mouse, Sugar, Bae -lazy cuddle kisses

DARREL “DARRY” SHAYNNE CURTIS JR. Age: 20 years old Darry is a muscular and tall man, standing at 6' 2", who is broad shouldered. His hair is said to be like his father's - dark brown that sticks out in the front of his head with a cowlick in the back. His eyes "are like two pieces of pale blue-green ice." He is said to look exactly like his father, but with different eyes. Also, he looks older than his actual age, which is twenty. Ponyboy says he would be better looking if his eyes weren't so cold. Darry is, in short, a mother and father for his younger brothers. He loves them dearly, though he has a bit of a weird way of showing it. Instead of being caring and understanding, he is stern and protective of them. However, this is only because he doesn't want to lose them to a boy's home. Additionally, he is a big impact on the brothers. He doesn't goof around often, though has been seen teasing Soda on occasion - he doesn't like when anyone teases him, except for Soda - Pony says he'd just as soon tease a grizzly bear. The other Greasers nickname him "Superman" or "Muscles," but Steve once made the mistake of calling him "all brawn and no brain," and Darry almost shattered Steve's jaw. Ponyboy describes him as a young man who grew up too fast and as someone handling things no one his age should have to. Darry is very intelligent and athletic, Ponyboy says he only understands cold hard facts. He wants Ponyboy to grow up well and go to college since that is an opportunity he and Soda, the middle brother, missed out on. He wishes that he could go to college, but won't because of financial problems and he doesn't want to leave his younger brothers. He is Sodapop (Soda) and Ponyboy (Pony, Pone)’s brother.

-Comforts by calling you beautiful and playing with your hair -Wants to propose to someone he loves while stargazing -Yells at Steve for leaving a mess -Calls his partner: Dear, Dove, Sweetie -"I am so in love with you" kisses