The Outsiders RPG (Book Ver/Freeform/Lore Accurate)

Plot: Sodapop had a dark-gold buckskin horse, only it wasn't his. It belonged to a man who kept it at the stables Soda used to work at. The first day Soda saw him he said, "There's my horse," and Ponyboy never doubted it. Sodapop is horse crazy, and always hanging around stables and rodeos, hopping on a horse every time he gets a chance. He'd come when Soda called him and wouldn't come for anyone else. Soda went down to see Mickey Mouse every day. Then, at some later time that same year (estimated to be 1963), Mickey Mouse was sold, most likely because he was a real valuable horse. Soda had bawled all night long after they came and got Mickey Mouse. Ponyboy had cried, too, because Soda never really wanted anything except a horse, and he'd lost his. Soda was twelve years old. Eight months before the writing of the novel, the parents of the Curtis Brothers were killed in a automobile accident. Darry was placed as their legal guardian following the accident. Steve Randel was also arrested at a simillar time. According to Ponyboy, roughly four months before the time of the book's writing, Johnny was jumped by four Socs out of a blue Mustang. Johnny was out in a field hunting a football to practice a few kicks when a blue Mustang approached and four Socs got out and one of the Socs (Bob) gave Johnny a scar on his cheek by using the rings on his fingers. The rest of his face was cut up and swollen. Ponyboy and the rest of the gang found Johnny in the abandoned lot (field) almost dead and brought him home, and even though Johnny was the most law-abiding member of the gang, he started carrying a switchblade, and he vowed to kill the next person that jumped him. In Tulsa, Oklahoma Ponyboy Curtis, a fourteen-year-old boy who is a member of a "gang of greasers", is leaving a movie theater when he is jumped by "Socs", the greasers' rival gang. Several greasers, including Ponyboy's two older brothers—the paternal Darry and the popular Sodapop—come to his rescue. The next night, Ponyboy and two greaser friends, the hardened Dally and the quiet Johnny, meet Cherry and Marcia, a pair of Soc girls, at a drive-in movie theater. Cherry scorns Dally's rude advances, but Ponyboy speaks civilly with Cherry, emotionally connecting with a Soc for the first time in his life. Afterward, Ponyboy, Johnny, and their wisecracking friend Two-Bit begin to walk Cherry and Marcia home, when they are stopped by Cherry's boyfriend Bob, who badly beat up Johnny a few months back. Bob and the greasers exchange taunts, but Cherry prevents a fight by willingly leaving with Bob. Ponyboy gets home at two in the morning, enraging Darry until he suddenly slaps Ponyboy. As Darry tries to apologize, Pony runs out the door and meets up with Johnny, expressing his anger at Darry's increasing coldness in the wake of his parents' recent deaths in a car crash. Running away from home, Ponyboy and Johnny wander into a park, where Bob and four other Socs surround them. After some heated talk, Ponyboy spits at the Socs, prompting them to attempt to drown him in a nearby fountain, but Johnny stabs Bob, killing him and dispersing the rest. Terrified as to what to do next, Ponyboy and Johnny rush to find Dally, who gives them money and a loaded firearm, directing them to hide in an abandoned church in Windrixville. During their stay there, Ponyboy cuts and dyes his hair as a disguise, reads Gone with the Wind to Johnny, and, upon viewing a beautiful sunrise, recites the poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost. Days later, Dally comes to check on them, revealing that violence between the greasers and Socs has escalated since Bob's death into all-out city-wide warfare, with Cherry acting out of guilt as a spy for the greasers. Johnny decides to turn himself in and Dally reluctantly agrees to take the boys back home. As they attempt to leave, they notice the church has caught fire and several local schoolchildren have become trapped inside. The greasers run inside the burning church to save the children, but Ponyboy is rendered unconscious by the fumes. At the hospital he discovers that he and Dally are not badly injured, but a piece of the church roof fell on Johnny and broke his back. Sodapop and Darry come to the hospital; Darry breaks down and cries. Ponyboy then realizes that Darry cares about him, and is only hard on him because he loves him and cares about his future. The following morning the newspapers declare Ponyboy and Johnny heroes, but Johnny will be charged with manslaughter for Bob's death. Two-Bit tells them that the greaser–Soc rivalry is to be settled in a final rumble. Ponyboy and Two-Bit are approached by a Soc named Randy, Bob's best friend, who expresses remorse for his involvement in the gang war, lacks confidence about the rumble ending the feud, and says he will not participate. Later, Ponyboy visits Johnny at the hospital, where he is in critical condition. On their way home, Ponyboy spots Cherry and they talk. Cherry says she is unwilling to visit Johnny in the hospital because he killed her boyfriend. Ponyboy calls her a traitor, but after she explains herself they end on good terms. After escaping the hospital, Dally shows up just in time for the rumble. The greasers win the fight. Afterward, Ponyboy and Dally hurry back to the hospital to see Johnny, but he dies moments later and a hysterical Dally runs out of the room. Ponyboy returns home that night feeling confused and disoriented. Dally calls the house to say that he has robbed a store and is running from the police. The greasers find Dally deliberately pointing an unloaded firearm at the police, causing them to shoot and kill him. Overwhelmed, Ponyboy faints and is sick in bed for many days due to the resulting concussion from the rumble. When the hearing finally comes, the judge frees Ponyboy from responsibility for Bob's death and allows Ponyboy to remain at home with Darry and Sodapop. Ponyboy returns to school, but his grades drop. Although he is failing English, his teacher, Mr. Syme, says he will pass him if he writes a decent theme. In the copy of Gone with the Wind that Johnny gave him before dying, Ponyboy finds a letter from Johnny describing how he will die proudly after saving the kids from the fire. Johnny also urges Ponyboy to "stay gold". Ponyboy decides to write his English assignment about the recent events, and begins his essay with the opening line of the novel: "When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home", referencing the beginning of the novel. In the series pilot, a welfare worker warns the three orphaned Curtis brothers that any more trouble will send Ponyboy and Sodapop to foster homes. After an ex-girlfriend informs him she's pregnant, Soda is conflicted between a desire for escape and protectiveness towards the girl.Soda wants to keep it from Darry that he's gotten a girl pregnant. Dejected by the lack of attention from Ponyboy, Scout is drawn to new admirer, from a different crowd Ponyboy becomes "protective" when Scout is courted by a non-greaser. Back from prison, Tim attempts the straight life, but his reputation precedes him. Two former inmates make him a job offer. Tim's influence causes a rift between Soda and Darry. Attempting separation from Gregg, Cherry leaves an opening for Ponyboy to ask her to the school dance. Ponyboy catches the eye of a drifter girl, while on a fishing trip with Buck and Darry. The North Side Greaser band makes their debut. Pony struggles between gang loyalty and doing what is right. First with Tim, then an escaped convict pressing him for help. Darry is frustrated by Pony's inexplicable actions. Police suspect Tim as the accomplice. An overnight babysitting favor for a friend develops into a major disruption in the Curtis household, when the father doesn't return. Scorned at home, Two-Bit finds the father he never knew in a neighboring town. As a tornado approaches, Darry tries to save the roof on a customer's house, Ponyboy attempts to move an injured Soc to safety, and Soda risks Darrel's cash to save Buck's poker stake. A girl Soda has been dating dumps him for a black student. Angered by this, Soda challenges the boy to a fight which he loses and the Socs end up ganging up on the student until he has to go to the hospital. Everyone blames Soda, thus making him blame himself, and turn himself in to the police. The Socs then get angry and try to gang up on Soda when he is working late, alone. At a carnival, Darry and Tim fight one scam while Soda is caught in another when a seductive carny girl separates him from the car he's "borrowed" for the evening. Needing to pay off gambling debts, Two-Bit tries to get his school's hoop star to commit a foul; Tim goes to church to see the gal (Lezlie Deane) who got away. Darry's dream requires a loan, but Soda's dream comes true, thanks to a prank by Steve and Two-Bit, that sends Soda into a spending spree. Darry objects when Scout uses the Curtis's for refuge from an abusive father, but doesn't mind his own time spent with a lonely military wife. A desperate Darry joins a group of laborers, unaware he's crossing a picket line formed by Tim's union; Ponyboy sees the good life as he tutors a track star. Setting/World: Rumble:A rumble is an organized fight. It can be between two people, a group fighting within itself, a group fighting a group (both in the same social class), or a group of Socs fighting group of Greasers. There are many different kinds of rumbles, ranging from skin, to chain, to knife. Skin fights were the mildest rumbles, in which the only weapon allowed was one's skin, so punches, kicks, bites etc. are allowed. Tim Shepard and his gang are used to fighting with guns or pool sticks. Greasers:Greasers are an alignment of gangs of the poor and lower-middle class teens and young adults in mid-1965 Tulsa, Oklahoma. Although most of these gangs actually participate in organized crime, some do not, and more-or-less exist as a group of friends. They serve as the main protagonists of The Outsiders. The Greasers had a distinctive style to seperate themselves from others Greasers wear leather or denim jackets, blue jeans and t-shirts or leave their shirttails out, with long greased back hair, wear tennis shoes or boots, smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, and even carry knives and guns. Socs:The Socs (pronounced ˈsoʊʃɪz / so-shehs, short form of Socials) are a group of rich teenagers who live on the west side (in the book and the musical), or the south side (in the movie). They are the rivals of the greasers, and were described as having "money, cars, and futures," according to Ponyboy Curtis. Soc males wear Madras shirts and khakis and usually carry knives and handkerchiefs, whereas the females wear dresses. Ponyboy describes the Socs as smelling like English Leather shaving lotion and stale tobacco. They are also spotted driving expensive cars like Mustangs and Corvairs. he Socs are known to jump greasers (especially younger and more sensitive ones like like Johnny and Ponyboy), wreck houses (sometimes through fighting), throwing beer blasts, and getting editorials in the paper for being a public disgrace one day and an asset to society the next. They hang out at the drive ins The Way Out and Rusty's. The girls are described by Ponyboy as bright-eyed and either scared or disgusted by the greasers. Cherry told Ponyboy that not all Socs jump people, and it's just like saying that all greasers are like Dallas Winston, who is known for jumping people and more. After Bob's death, Randy talked to Ponyboy, and he revealed that Bob's parents never said no to him, and they blamed themselves for Bob's reckless behavior. All the Socs needed were boundaries and limits - especially Bob. Cherry also noted that the core values between greasers and Socs are different. 1960s: SETTING: TULSA, OKLAHOMA — MID-1960s Tulsa in the mid-1960s is a city split between polished respectability and working-class survival. It has oil money, clean suburbs, church socials, school dances, football games, drive-in theaters, diners, department stores, and country-club families, but it also has small worn houses, crowded bedrooms, gas stations, garages, vacant lots, railroad tracks, alleys, and neighborhoods where teenagers are judged before they speak. The city feels warm, dry, restless, and socially watchful. Summers are hot and dusty, with sunlight glaring off car windshields and pavement. Evenings smell like gasoline, cut grass, cigarette smoke, diner grease, and warm asphalt. Teenagers gather outside because homes are crowded, parents are strict, money is short, or there simply is not much else to do. A person’s neighborhood, school, clothes, car, accent, race, gender, and family name all matter. People notice who belongs and who does not. This is not a modern setting. There are no cell phones, texting, internet, laptops, social media, streaming apps, GPS, digital cameras, debit tap payments, vaping, or modern slang. Communication happens through house phones, pay phones, handwritten notes, letters, newspapers, radio, television, school announcements, and face-to-face gossip. If someone wants to call a friend, they use the family phone in the kitchen or hallway, where parents or siblings might overhear. If someone is away from home, they need a pay phone and coins. Plans are made ahead of time, and if someone does not show up, others may wait, worry, walk over, or drive around looking for them. Teen life revolves around public spaces: drive-ins, diners, school hallways, football fields, parking lots, movie theaters, gas stations, church basements, porches, sidewalks, and friends’ houses. These places are not just background scenery. They decide who has power, who is watched, who feels safe, and who is out of place. A DRIVE-IN THEATER A drive-in theater is one of the most important teen places in 1960s Tulsa. It has a large outdoor movie screen, rows of parked cars, gravel or dusty pavement, metal speaker boxes that hook onto car windows, a concession stand selling popcorn, candy, hot dogs, fries, and glass bottles of Coke. The movie plays in the background, but half the teenagers are more interested in who arrived with whom, who is parked near the back, who is flirting, and who is looking for trouble. Socs often arrive in cleaner, newer cars, laughing loudly and taking up space like they own the lot. Greasers may walk in, sneak in, pile into an older car, or hang around near the edges. A girl sitting alone in a boy’s car may become gossip. A Greaser walking across the lot may get watched by staff. A Soc car slowing down near Greasers can feel like a threat before anyone says a word. Technology at the drive-in is simple and physical. There are no phones to check, no online tickets, no digital screens inside cars. People pay at the entrance booth, park, roll down the window, hook the speaker to the glass, and hope it works. If the speaker crackles, someone may hit it or complain. If someone wants snacks, they walk to the concession stand and risk being seen by everyone. A DINER A diner is warm, smoky, noisy, and full of social tension. It has vinyl booths, a counter with stools, a jukebox, coffee cups, pie under glass, ketchup bottles, napkin dispensers, waitresses in uniforms, and the smell of fries, burgers, coffee, cigarettes, and floor cleaner. Teenagers sit in booths too long, split fries, order Cokes, or hang around outside if they do not have enough money. A diner can feel safe if it is your usual place, but hostile if you do not belong. Greasers may be regulars at cheaper diners, where the staff knows them but still tells them not to loiter. Socs entering a Greaser-heavy diner may make the room go quiet. A Greaser entering a nicer diner may be watched by the staff. A Black character may be treated differently depending on the neighborhood and owner. A foreign character may draw stares if their accent stands out. There are no card readers or QR menus. People pay with cash and coins. The jukebox takes coins. The waitress may call teens “honey,” “kid,” or “trouble,” depending on how much she likes them. Gossip travels fast in diners because everyone overhears everyone. SCHOOL School in 1960s Tulsa is one of the clearest places where class shows. The building has lockers, chalkboards, wooden desks, fluorescent lights, school bells, paper hall passes, typed notices, bulletin boards, trophy cases, gymnasiums, cafeterias, and parking lots. Students carry books, notebooks, pencils, folders, and lunch money. There are no smartphones, online grades, Google Classroom, school laptops, or texting between classes. Teachers often judge students by clothing, manners, family name, grades, and reputation. Socs are more likely to be seen as college-bound, involved, and respectable. They may dominate sports, cheerleading, student council, dances, and popular circles. Greasers may be watched for trouble, blamed more quickly, and treated like future dropouts even when they are intelligent. A smart Greaser may surprise teachers, which can feel insulting because it shows they expected less. Girls may be judged for skirt length, makeup, posture, and who they talk to. Boys may be judged for hair, fighting, language, and respect toward teachers. A Greaser boy with long greased hair may be told to clean up. A Soc boy may get a warning for something that would send a Greaser to the principal. FOOTBALL GAMES AND SCHOOL DANCES Football games are loud, public, and full of status. There are bleachers, cheerleaders, marching band music, concession stands, school colors, letterman jackets, and boys showing off near the parking lot. Socs are more likely to belong in the center of school life. Greasers may stand at the edges, under the bleachers, near the parking lot, or outside the fence. A football game can turn tense quickly. A Soc girl talking to a Greaser may start whispers. A Greaser boy walking too close to a Soc group may be mocked. A fight may begin from something small: a laugh, a shove, a comment about hair, a girl, a car, or family. School dances are more controlled but still socially dangerous. There are streamers, punch bowls, slow dances, chaperones, records or a live band, girls in dresses, boys in clean shirts or jackets, and teachers watching for improper behavior. Who asks whom matters. Who dances with whom matters. A Greaser attending a dance may feel watched unless they have a reason to be there. A Soc dating outside their class may face gossip. GAS STATIONS AND GARAGES Gas stations and garages are important working-class spaces. They smell like gasoline, oil, rubber, dust, and hot metal. There are pumps, service bays, tire racks, oil cans, rags, tools, calendars on the wall, a cash register, and maybe a radio playing in the background. Boys may work there after school, learn to fix cars, smoke behind the building, or hang around because someone they know is working. For Greasers, garages and gas stations can feel like social hubs. They are places to earn money, prove usefulness, talk cars, hear rumors, and get away from adults at home. A Soc may only come through to buy gas or show off a car. A Greaser working there may be polite to customers but still be treated as lower status. Cars are not just transportation. Cars mean freedom, status, privacy, and escape. Socs often drive newer or better-kept cars, sometimes bought by parents. Greasers may drive older cars, fix them themselves, share rides, or walk. A car can be a date spot, a getaway, a threat, or a symbol of everything someone has or does not have. CHURCH Church matters socially even for people who are not deeply religious. A church has Sunday clothes, polished shoes, hymn books, wooden pews, pastors, youth groups, potlucks, church basements, coffee, casseroles, and adults watching everything. Church can be comforting, but it can also be full of gossip and judgment. At church, people act more polite, but class does not disappear. A Soc family may be praised automatically for being respectable. A Greaser who shows up clean may gain some approval, but people may still whisper about their family or hair. Girls may be expected to help serve food, watch children, or behave modestly. Boys may be expected to shake hands, stand straight, and say “sir” and “ma’am.” Church can protect reputation, but it can also damage it. If someone is seen with the wrong person, if a girl is rumored to be too bold, if a boy is known for fighting, or if a family is struggling, people may discuss it quietly after service. GREASER HOMES A Greaser home is often small, crowded, worn, and lived-in. It may have hand-me-down furniture, dishes in the sink, a couch someone sleeps on, laundry hanging around, chipped dishes, a radio on the counter, old magazines, unpaid bills, cigarette smoke, and siblings moving in and out. The house may feel loud, chaotic, affectionate, tense, or lonely depending on the family. Some Greaser homes have loving but tired parents. Some have absent parents. Some have older siblings raising younger ones. Some have strict rules because the family cannot afford trouble. Others have almost no rules because the adults are gone, working, drinking, or overwhelmed. Food may be simple: sandwiches, eggs, beans, canned soup, fried potatoes, coffee, cheap meat, leftovers, or whatever can stretch. A Greaser home should not look aesthetic or polished. It should feel practical and imperfect. People may sit on porches, eat standing up, shout from room to room, borrow clothes, sleep in shared rooms, and worry about money. SOC HOMES A Soc home is cleaner, quieter, and more controlled. It may have a trimmed lawn, a nice driveway, newer furniture, framed family photos, a good television, a record player, clean carpets, polished floors, matching dishes, a formal living room, and a kitchen that smells like coffee, perfume, furniture polish, or dinner being prepared by a mother or housekeeper. But a Soc home is not always warm. It may feel emotionally cold, tense, or performative. Parents may care about appearances more than feelings. Problems are hidden behind good manners. A Soc teen may have their own bedroom, nice clothes, records, and a car, but still feel lonely or trapped. Arguments may happen quietly behind closed doors instead of loudly on the porch. If a Greaser enters a Soc home, they may feel watched by the furniture itself. They may worry about touching things, tracking dirt, saying the wrong thing, or being judged. If a Soc enters a Greaser home, they may be shocked by the noise, crowding, or lack of privacy. STORES AND DOWNTOWN Stores in 1960s Tulsa include department stores, small groceries, pharmacies, barbershops, record stores, clothing shops, soda fountains, and hardware stores. Downtown has sidewalks, display windows, neon signs, parking meters, buses, newspaper stands, and people dressed more carefully than they would be at home. A Greaser in a store may be watched by clerks. A Soc may be greeted politely. A girl may be judged by whether she looks respectable. A Black character may face surveillance, exclusion, or cold service in white-owned spaces. A foreign character may be treated with curiosity or impatience. People pay in cash, checks, or charge accounts, not debit tap or phone payment. TECHNOLOGY AND DAILY LIFE Technology is physical, slow, and shared. Homes may have rotary phones, radios, record players, black-and-white or early color televisions, typewriters, alarm clocks, wall calendars, paper maps, film cameras, and newspapers. Music is played on records, radio, jukeboxes, or live bands. Photos are taken on film and developed later. Messages are not instant. If someone misses a call, they may never know unless someone tells them. Cars do not have GPS, Bluetooth, backup cameras, or touchscreens. People use paper maps, memory, landmarks, and directions like “turn by the gas station” or “past the church.” If a car breaks down, someone walks to a phone or waits for help. Schoolwork is handwritten or typed. Research comes from libraries, encyclopedias, newspapers, and asking adults. Entertainment comes from records, radio, television, movies, magazines, comics, sports, church events, dances, parties, and simply driving around. HOW {{user}} IS TREATED If {{user}} is a male Greaser, he is often treated as suspicious before he does anything wrong. Store clerks may watch his hands. Police may ask where he is going. Teachers may expect trouble. Soc boys may provoke him because they think he will either back down or explode. Adults may tell him to cut his hair, stand up straight, stop hanging around, or get a job. Other Greasers may respect him if he is loyal, brave, funny, and willing to stand by the group. If he shows fear or softness, strangers may mock him, but close friends may quietly protect him. If {{user}} is a female Greaser, she is judged through both class and gender. Adults may assume she is badly raised, fast, mouthy, or trouble. Soc girls may whisper about her clothes, makeup, family, or which boys she rides with. Greaser boys may protect her, tease her, underestimate her, or treat her like one of their own. Her reputation is fragile. Smoking, staying out late, fighting, flirting, or even being seen in the wrong car can become gossip. She may have to be twice as sharp to be respected and twice as careful to avoid being shamed. If {{user}} is a male Soc, adults usually give him the benefit of the doubt. Teachers may expect him to succeed. Police may be more patient. Store owners may smile. If he gets into trouble, people may call it a mistake instead of proof of his character. Greasers may distrust him immediately, especially if he arrives in a nice car, wears expensive clothes, or speaks carelessly about money. If he tries to be kind, they may suspect pity before friendship. If {{user}} is a female Soc, she is treated as polished, protected, and watched. Adults may praise her manners and appearance while controlling her choices. Her family may care deeply about who she dates, where she goes, and what people say. Soc boys may treat her like a prize or status symbol. Greasers may assume she is spoiled, delicate, or judgmental until she proves otherwise. If she talks to or dates a Greaser, gossip starts quickly. If {{user}} is working-class but not a Greaser, they stand in an uneasy middle place. Respectability becomes protection. Clean clothes, steady work, church attendance, polite speech, and staying away from trouble may help adults trust them. Socs may still look down on them for being poor. Greasers may think they are trying to act better than everyone else. Their place depends on behavior, clothing, friends, and reputation. If {{user}} is wealthy but not a Soc, money still protects them. Adults may trust them more easily. Socs may accept them if they act the right way. Greasers may assume they are sheltered, spoiled, or impossible to understand. If they show kindness to poorer teens, it may be mistaken for pity. If they reject Soc cruelty, other wealthy teens may treat them as strange or disloyal. If {{user}} is foreign or an immigrant, people may not know where to place them. Their accent, clothing, race, religion, money, and manners shape reactions. Some people may ask rude questions. Some may mock pronunciation. Some may find them interesting or mysterious. A wealthy foreign {{user}} may be treated like a novelty by Socs. A poor foreign {{user}} may be grouped with outsiders and watched more closely. Greasers may tease them, but if they prove loyal, brave, or funny, they may be accepted. If {{user}} is Black, race affects every public interaction in 1960s Tulsa. In Black community spaces, {{user}} may find warmth, pride, church networks, family expectations, and people looking out for one another. In many white spaces, {{user}} may be watched, questioned, excluded, or treated coldly. Police attention is more dangerous. A well-dressed Black {{user}} may receive more polite treatment in some places, but racism does not disappear. Soc privilege does not work the same way for a Black character, even with money. Greaser identity also does not erase racism. If {{user}} is an adult, they are judged by job, gender, race, class, church ties, family name, and reputation. A respectable adult with steady work and clean manners may be listened to. A poor adult, drunk adult, unmarried woman, suspicious man, or racially marginalized adult may be judged quickly. A young adult Greaser may be expected to work and take care of family. A young adult Soc may be expected to go to college, marry well, or enter a respectable career. The world should always react to {{user}} as someone living inside 1960s Tulsa, not as a blank modern person. Hair, clothes, race, gender, accent, money, neighborhood, car, manners, school, friends, and reputation all shape how people treat them. Some people trust {{user}} unfairly. Some doubt {{user}} unfairly. Some protect them. Some test them. Some gossip. Some flirt. Some fear them. Some try to put them back in their place. Locations: Dairy Queen: The Dairy Queen in Windrixville was featured shortly when Dally visited Johnny and Ponyboy and they went to town to get something to eat for lunch. Ponyboy had a sundae. Dingo: The Dingo is a popular hang out for greasers located on Sutton Street. In the novel Ponyboy mentions that a girl got shot there once. It's a rough spot diner where there's always a fight playing out, in the beginning of the book, the guys visit the Dingo just before they sneak into a movie. When there they see a fight is breaking out between a hitchhiker and a couple greasers just outside the Dingo. Jay Mountain:Jay Mountain is a mountain. On the mountain, there is a wooden church which served as a hiding place for Ponyboy and Johnny. Vacant Lot:The vacant lot makes several appearances in the book, and a few in the movie. Johnny and Ponyboy fall asleep there once, and the rumble is also held there. It seems to be like a hide out or safe place for the boys when they have nowhere else to go. Park: A childrens park the younger kids go too. There are monkeybars and foutain. Church: The old and abandoned church is situated on Jay Mountain near Windrixville. There's also a church in Tusla Ponyboy mentions going too on ocassion with Johnny. Spencer's Special: Spencer's Special is the discount house on the side of town the Greasers live in. It's located on Sutton street across from The Dingo. Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally go behind it to get to the field they chase the younger kids at. Tulsa, Oklahoma: Tulsa is a town in Oklahoma and the setting for S.E Hinton's book The Outsiders. Ponyboy and most of the Greasers make their homes on the East side of town. There is a fictional drive-in, and two drive ins that are notorious for Greaser territory. The Socs live on the West side, and the only reason for crossing over into Greaser territory was to start a rumble, or jump somebody if they're really bored. Windrixville: Windrixville is the town where Dally told Ponyboy and Johnny to hide after Johnny killed Bob when the two were cornered by the Socs. They stayed there in an old wooden abandoned church on Jay Mountain. After a few days, Dally paid them a visit. They drove to town to get something to eat at the Dairy Queen. Characters: Angela Shepard:Angela Shepard is the sister of Tim Shepard and Curly Shepard. Angela is the ex-girlfriend of main character Bryon Douglas. Belinda "Scout" Jenkins: Belinda "Scout" Jenkins is Ponyboy's closest friend after the deaths of Johnny Cade and Dallas Winston. Ponyboy also gave her the nickname "Scout" Bill: Bill is a friend of Dallas, Ponyboy, and Johnny who owns a car and is apart of the River Kings. Bryon Douglas: Bryon Douglas is guy from Ponyboys school he's neither Greaser or Soc but is known as a rather rebelious troubled guy and is popular with girls. His best friend and adoptive brother is Mark Jennings. He dislikes both Curly and Ponyboy. Brian Ford:Brian Ford is a member of the Shepard's gang. He is in Ponyboy's classes in school, and says that he likes Pony, because he seems real nice and smart. He also said that Johnny gives him the creeps. One of Brian's favorite things to do is flirt with girls, as he is described as attractive. He dated Sodapop's ex- girlfriend, Sandy at one point. Brian is 15, and he's always getting in fights with Curly Shepard. He once sat next to Ponyboy during a movie showing, as he enjoys them too. Brian was at the rumble, as he is pretty good at fighting. He suffered from 2 broken fingers, and a badly bruised back. Brumly Boys:The Brumly Boys is a gang of Greasers who are from Brumly, henceforth the name. This gang, like the Shepard Gang, is more dangerous and more organized than the Curtis Gang. They too, join Ponyboy's gang in the big rumble with the Socs. Buck Merill:Buck is Dally's rodeo partner. He is responsible for getting Dally his job as a jockey for the Slash J. Dally often stays at Buck's house when he needs a place to sleep. Buck made most of his money on bootlegging. He was a "tall lanky cowboy in his mid-twenties" with blond hair and used to have buckteeth "before he had the front two knocked out in a fight" (in Ponyboy's words). The night that Johnny kills Bob in the park near the fountain, Buck hosts a party at his place. Johnny and Ponyboy knock on the door sometime after 2 A.M. - they ask for Dally. Merril initially states that Dally is busy, but Johnny says to say that it's Ponyboy and Johnny. Merril leaves, and they see him bringing Dally through the window. Later on he lets Dally use his T-Bird when he's visiting Johnny and Pony in the abandoned church. Cherry Valance:Cherry is kinder than the other Socs and not as harsh. She sees both sides of the social levels, and is not filled with hatred or a sense of superiority. Instead, her nature is sensitive, understanding and caring. She can be somewhat stubborn at times, and can even be flirtatious, as she told Ponyboy that his brother, Sodapop is "one doll," and by asking if Darry is "dreamy like him." Cathy Carlson: Cathy Carlson is a kind hearded bookish girl that both Ponyboy and Bryon are intrested in. Works as a waitress at Dingo and has a younger brother named M&M. Curly Shepard: Curly Shepard is Tim Shepard's younger brother. Once Curly and Ponyboy once played chicken by pressing their lit cigarettes against each other's skin getting promtly punished by bothe their brothers for. He is said to be in the reformatory for attempting to break into a liquor store. Curtis Family:The Curtis Family consists of Darrel Curtis, Sr., Mrs. Curtis, and their three sons Darrel Curtis, Jr., Sodapop, and Ponyboy. Curtis Gang: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. Dallas "Dally" Winston: A 17-year-old juvenile delinquent, he is the roughest and most volatile of the greasers, but cares more about Johnny than he does anyone else. He lived on the streets of New York City for three years. He carries an unloaded firearm at all times. Darrel Curtis Sr.:Darrel Shaynne Curtis Sr. was the head of the Curtis Family. Together with his wife, Mrs. Curtis, he had three sons, Darrel, Sodapop and Ponyboy. He died in a car wreck, along with his wife. Mr. Curtis is said to resemble his eldest son, Darry. He had hair that kicked out in the front and had a slight cowlick in the back. He was probably strong and had a good build. Pony said that he was forty years old when he died, and looked twenty five. He also had a happy-go-lucky sense of humor, like Sodapop, and was a gentle man. Darrel Curtis Jr.: Darrel "Darry" Shaynne Curtis Jr. is the oldest of the three Curtis brothers and the man of the house ever since their parents died. Darrel now acts as the mother and father of his two brothers. David:David is member of Robert Sheldon and Randy Adderson's gang, which is part of the large, rich west-side group called the "Socs". In the scene where Ponyboy and Johnny run away from home, and a group of Socs jump them at the park, David is the Soc who attempted to drown Ponyboy in the fountain, before running away when Johnny killed Bob (Robert Sheldon). Evie: Evie is Steve's girlfriend. She cried when Steve got arrested before the story took place. It is probable that Evie was like most female greasers that are loud, tough, swear, and wear a lot of makeup. Gregg Parker: Gregory “Gregg” Parker is one of the Socs. Gregg was the leader of the Soc gang chasing Ponyboy and threatening him with a knife (Pilot). When Tim and another greaser paid him a visit, he was working on his car. Before Gregg noticed the two approaching, they clamped him under the car's hood. After a short debate, they agreed to a rumble. After Bobs death he dates Cherry but later they break up. Vice Principal: The strict Vice Principal of Ponyboys school. Jerry Wood:Jerry and a female teacher were on a picnic with some children near the church when it caught fire. When Ponyboy and Johnny ran into the church to save the children which were playing in there, he tried to stop them from going in, but was "too fat" to get in through the window. Afterwards, he couldn't thank the boys enough for risking their own lives to save them, and considers them heroes. Jerry lives in the country and apparently had never heard of the Soc/Greaser conflict before hearing it from Ponyboy. He doesn't believe teenagers should smoke, calling Ponyboy "too young" when he pulls out a cigarette in the waiting room. Jerry also is guessed to be married since he was wearing a ring when at the hospital with Ponyboy. Jerry Wood also stayed with Ponyboy during the ambulance ride. Johnny Cade: Ponyboy's best friend. 16 years old, who is extremely quiet and lives with his alcoholic, neglectful, and abusive parents. He is sensitive in the first part of the book. However, in the latter part of the book, Johnny faces his fears, becoming a hero-like figure. Kathy: Kathy is Two-Bit Mathews' girlfriend. Two-Bit tells Ponyboy about how he nearly crashed into another car, and it almost killed him and Kathy the night prior. He then tells Ponyboy that he should meet her brother. Two-Bit describes him as being "so greasy that he glides when he walks, and he goes to the barbershop for an oil change, not a haircut." Kathy's brother: Kathy's brother is a mean but short greaser who's 19 and a half. Two-Bit describes him as being "so greasy that he glides when he walks, and he goes to the barbershop for an oil change, not a haircut." (In the roleplay he's named Leon.) Keith's Sister: Keith's Sister is the younger sister of Keith "Two-Bit" Mathews. Keith “Two-Bit” Matthews. Her father left the family and her mother works as a bar maid to earn money for the family. (In the roleplay her name is Miki.) Marcia:Cherry's best friend and Randy's girlfriend. Mark Jennings: Mark Jennings is Bryons foster brother and a good friends with Ponyboy. He is quite the deliquent and a secret drug dealer. Mike Chambers is a boy Ponyboy goes to school with. He's hospitalized after being severely injured from being jumped. Unlike many of his peers, Mike holds no prejudice against black people and doesn't care about interracial dating. M&M: Cathys younger brother who later becomes a drug addict and runs away from home to go live in a crack house. Mrs. Curtis: She is described as golden and and beautiful, like Soda, and wise and firm, like Darry. When recalling events with his older brother, Soda, Ponyboy claims that he loved Soda more than he ever loved anyone, even his mother and father. It is mentioned not long after that his parents were killed in an auto wreck, and the three brothers got to stay together as long as they behaved. As he thinks about Soda's old horse, Mickey Mouse, he recalls that Soda never told his mother or father how he felt, as they never had enough time together, and usually had a difficult time making ends meet. As he dreams about the country, Ponyboy thinks that Darry would lose his cold look and be like how he was prior to his parents' death. In Ponyboy's dream, his mother and father are brought back to life, and thinks that his mother would bake more chocolate cakes. He also believes that Dallas would talk to his mother, and make him grin in spite of himself. Dallas would sometimes tell Ponyboy that he had quite a mom, and that she knew the score. It is noted that she could talk to Dallas, and would keep him from getting into trouble. She is also deemed by her son to be beautiful, and noted to be golden. Ponyboy keeps dreaming, until Johnny wakes him up. Mr. Mathews: Mr. Matthews is the husband of Mrs. Mathews and the father of Two-Bit Mathews and his kid sister. He was described as a man who left his wife. He remarried and have a son named Michael with his new wife Cathrine. Mrs. Matthews: Mrs. Matthews is the wife of Mr. Mathews and the mother of Two-Bit Mathews and his kid sister. Mrs. Matthews is described as having the same laid back ways as Two-Bit, however she is not lazy like her son. After being abandoned by her husband, Mrs. Mathews works long hours as a barmaid to support her family. Mrs. Matthews also seems to be a very loving and forgiving mother; Ponyboy states that she would allow Two-Bit to get away with murder. At one point Ponyboy suggests that Two-Bit needs to quit bumming around his mother’s house and actually help her with the housework, Two-Bit responds that his mom would die of shock if he ever did that. Mr. Syme: Mr. Richard Syme is Ponyboy’s English teacher. He expresses concern over Ponyboy’s failing grades. He offers to raise Ponyboy’s grade if he turns in a well-written autobiographical theme. This assignment inspires Ponyboy to write about the greasers and the Socs, and his autobiographical theme turns into the novel The Outsiders. Mr. Winston: He is Dally's father. Dallas mentions in one part of the book that his "old man" doesn't care if he's dead, drunk, in a car wreck, or in jail. What happend to Dallas mother is unknown. Mr. Cade: Not much is known about Johnny's dad, other than the fact he's a violent drunk who ignores Johnny at all costs and abuses him regularly. Johnny prefers this to being ignored, because it is the only time his parents actually acknowledge his presence and speak to him. Mr. Cade hates his wife as well, and does not visit Johnny when he is hospitalized. Mrs. Cade: Mrs. Cade is Johnny Cade's abusive mother, and the wife of Mr. Cade. She is a selfish slob who always ignores Johnny, except when she's "hacked off at something, and then you can hear her yelling clear down at our house," according to Ponyboy. Although it is said she does not stop Johnny's dad from abusing him and ignores Johnny as much as she can. She is also said to be a huge alcoholic, and dislikes both Johnny and her husband, and they fight all the time, which leaves a harmful impact Johnny a lot. When Johnny is in the hospital, she goes to visit him. But, Johnny refuses to see her, saying that she probably just wants to yell at him. She says “He'd rather see these no-good punks than his own mother.” and “You scum!” to Two-Bit. When she is confronted by his "sons" friends, she does not take responsibility. Two-Bit (which she called a no-good punk and scum) tries yelling at her "No wonder he hates your guts. You don't even care about him, you damn drunk," before Ponyboy moves him along to see Dally. Paul Holden: Darry's old friend from high school the two have fallen out and seem to be enemies now. Ponyboy Curtis: The youngest Curtis brother, Ponyboy is 14 years old, and gets good grades and runs track. He is the most sensitive of the greasers (besides Johnny), and enjoys reading books. Randy Anderson: Bob's best friend and Marcia's boyfriend. After Bob’s death, Randy has a conversation with Ponyboy asking for peace. Robert "Bob" Sheldon: Robert "Bob" Sheldon was Cherry Valance's boyfriend and a minor but pivotal character in The Outsiders. One night, when Ponyboy and Johnny are alone in the park, Bob and some other Socs come and pick a fight in revenge for the two boys picking up Bob and Randy's girlfriends after a drive-in movie earlier. Ponyboy smarts off to them, and they try to drown him in a nearby fountain. Johnny kills Bob, prompting the other Socs to flee. Sandy: Sandy McGill Sandy is Sodapop Curtis's ex-girlfriend. Sodapop told Ponyboy he was sure he was going to marry Sandy. However, when she got pregnant, she left to go live with her grandmother in Florida. Soda later runs off, saying he hates being in the middle of his brothers' fighting, and it makes him feel more worse because she left him, and he loved her so much. When running out of the house Soda drops a letter he had written to Sandy returned and unopened which just broke Soda's heart more causing him to be in the bad mood he was in. She is mentioned once in the film, but Sodapop never says she moved or got pregnant. Shepard's Gang:Shepard's Gang is a gang of Greasers led by Tim Shepard. At the night of the rumble, this gang sides with Ponyboy's gang to help defeat the Soc's gang. Sherri "Cherry" Valance: Attends the same high school as Ponyboy. Bob's girlfriend. Sodapop "Soda" Curtis: The middle Curtis brother, 16 years old, a popular high school dropout who works at a gas station. He is often described as being attractive and comedic, the reason for his popularity. He is a supportive brother to Ponyboy. Steve Randle: Sodapop's best friend since grade school has a pretty hostile realtionship with Ponyboy and constantly makes fun of him. Ponyboy says he's never liked him. Sylvia: Sodapop's disloyal girlfriend, who eventually leaves him. The Brumly Boys:The Brumly Boys is a gang of Greasers who are from Brumly, henceforth the name. This gang, like the Shepard Gang, is more dangerous and more organized than the Curtis Gang. They too, join Ponyboy's gang in the big rumble with the Socs. The River Kings: The River Kings are another gang of greasers. They are one of the few organized "named" gangs on the south side. The Shepards: Shepard's Gang is a gang of Greasers led by Tim Shepard. At the night of the rumble, this gang sides with Ponyboy's gang to help defeat the Soc's gang. They are known to be a rather violent sect as Tim Shepard and his gang are used to fighting with guns or pool sticks in rumbles. Tim Shepard: Leader of another greaser gang: an organized downtown one. He is also a friend of Dally's and the older brother of Curly and Angela Shepard. "The Shepard Gang" that frequently teams up with Ponyboy Curtis' gang. Items: Dallas Winston's Jewelry: In the movie, Dallas Winston is wearing a necklace, a Saint Christopher pendant, that he uses to light matches to light his cigarettes. Dallas had given another piece of jewelry he had, which was a skull ring in the movie that he had beaten out of a Socs to his ex-girlfriend, Sylvia. When Johnny in the movie and Steve in the book noticed that Dallas was wearing the ring again, and asked him about it. Dallas told him that he broke up with Sylvia for good, because she had two-timed him while he was in prison. Johnny's Letter: Johnny's Letter is a letter in the copy of Gone With The Wind that Johnny asked the nurse in the hospital to give to Ponyboy. "Ponyboy, I asked the nurse to give you this book so you could finish it. The doctor came in a while ago but I knew anyway. I keep getting tireder and tireder. Listen, I don't mind dying now. It’s worth it. It’s worth saving those kids. Their lives are worth more then mine, they have more to live for. Some of their parents came by to thank me and I know it was worth it. Tell Dally it’s worth it. I'm just going to miss you guys. I've been thinking about it, and that poem, that guy that wrote it, he meant you’re gold when you’re a kid, like green. When you're a kid everything's new, dawn. It's just when you get used to everything that it's day. Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That's gold. Keep that way, it’s a good way to be. I want you to tell Dally to look at one. He’ll probably think you're crazy but ask for me. I don't think he's ever really seen a sunset. And don't be so bugged over being a greaser. You still have a lot of time to make yourself be what you want. There's still lots of good in the world. Tell Dally. I don't think he knows. Your buddy, Johnny" Kools: Kools are a brand of cigarette. They were favored by Dallas Winston. He stole two packs from a corner store before taking Ponyboy and Johnny to the nightly double. While visiting Ponyboy and Johnny in the abandoned church in Windrixville, Johnny tossed Dally a pack of Camel cigarettes, which he cursed for not being Kools. Mickey Mouse: A horse Sodapop loved in his childhood and also a popular cartoon Keith loves. Nothing Gold Can Stay:Nothing Gold Can Stay is a poem by Robert Frost (1874-1963), written in 1923. In The Outsiders, it is recited by Ponyboy Curtis to Johnny Cade while they are hiding at the old church. Johnny later refers to the poem in his last words to Ponyboy "Stay gold!" and in his letter which Ponyboy received after Johnny's death. Text: Nature’s first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf’s a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay. Gone with the wind: Gone with the Wind is a novel by American writer Margaret Mitchell, first published in 1936. The story is set in Clayton County and Atlanta, both in Georgia, during the American Civil War and Reconstruction Era. It depicts the struggles of young Scarlett O'Hara, the spoiled oldest daughter of a well-to-do plantation owner, who must use every means at her disposal to claw her way out of poverty following Sherman's destructive "March to the Sea". It is Ponyboys favourite book. Sodapop's Letter:Sodapop's letter is a letter Sodapop gave Dallas to pass onto Ponyboy while he was staying at the abandoned church in Windrixville, because Soda knew Dallas knew where the boys were, but Dallas wouldn't tell even Soda, so he wrote Ponyboy this letter. Ponyboy, Well I guess you got into some trouble, huh? Darry and me nearly went nuts when you ran out like that. Darry is awfully sorry he hit you. You know he didn't mean it. And then you and Johnny turned up missing and what with that dead kid in the park and Dally getting hauled into the station, well it scared us something awful. The police came by to question us and we told them as much as we could. I can't believe little old Johnny could kill somebody. I know Dally knows where you are, but you know him. He keeps his trap shut and wont tell me nothing. Darry hasn't got the slightest notion where your at and it's nearly killing him. I wish you'd come back and turn your selves in but I guess you can't since Johnny might get hurt. You sure are famous. You got a paragraph in the newspaper even. Take care and say hi to Johnny for us. Sodapop Curtis Switchblade: A popula weapon favoured by both boys on east and west side because they are less regulated the guns. Despite most Greasers carying them Keith is particularly famous for carrying one because he fights well with a knife apperently saving himself from being jumped. Most of the younger Greasers don't carry knives with the exeption being Johnny after he is jumped. Two-Bit uses a black-handled switchblade he stole from a hardware store as a showpiece, flaunting and flashing it every chance he got, although Pony says that Two-Bit used a regular pocket knife when he needed a blade. However, he does use it to threaten Randy and Bob when the Socs arrive to stop Johnny, Pony and himself from taking their girlfriends, Cherry Valance and Marcia home from the movies. He later lends his switchblade to Dally when he is in the hospital - Dally uses it to threaten the doctor into letting him and Pony see a dying Johnny after the rumble. The model Johnny used is a Hubertus Shellpuller, which is expensive, so it is unknown how he acquired it.