Characters
Who is Two-Bit Matthews?
These two characters have something of a parent-guardian relationship, where the elder of the two is frequently overprotective of the younger and provides tough love that can on occasion hurt them unintentionally, and the younger views the elder as cold and uncaring out of a misunderstanding of their words and actions.
What is the relationship between Pony Boy and his eldest brother Derry?
This member of the Curtis family is the middle child, and often acts as a facilitator among his siblings, making use of his up-beat and empathetic nature to keep the peace in the household.
What is Soda Pop's role in the family?
This action caused Pony Boy to run away from home near the end of chapter 3.
What is Darry slapping him out of anger?
This was the first person to come to Pony Boy's aid after he got jumped in chapter 1
Who is Darry?
Nicknamed after the color of her hair, this unusually amiable Soc is a cheerleader at Pony Boy's school. She disapproves of violence and does not consider watching her boyfriend get drunk to be an enjoyable way to spend her time.
Who is Sherry "Cherry" Valance?
Pony Boy dislikes spending time with this character, though he won't admit this out loud to Soda Pop
Who is Steve?
This character is the eldest and must serve the role of the adult in the Curtis household in the absence of living parents. In order to provide for his brothers, he puts off college and works long hours helping build houses.
What is Darry's role in the family?
Unable to see this character's treatment of him as anything but cold and uncaring, Pony Boy resents this character and refuses to open up to him about his vulnerabilities, though Soda insists his actions are out of love.
Who is Darry?
This is the main source of amusement which Pony Boy and the gang seek out during chapter 2.
What is a drive-in theater?
Described as the pet of everyone else among the Greasers, this character has a severely abusive home life which renders him scared and suspicious at all times.
Who is Johnny?
As the two youngest members of the Greasers, the other members are particularly protective of these two characters, both of whom are self-conscious of being seen/treated as particularly young by their peers. That said, this also means they understand each other a little better than they do the older members of the gang, and are thus somewhat closer to each other than they are to the rest of the Greasers.
What is Johnny and Pony Boy's dynamic with the rest of the greasers and each other?
This tragically deceased individual is responsible for Soda and Pony Boy's unusual names.
Who is Pony Boy's father?
This was the reckless action that led to a shouting match between Pony Boy and Darry in chapter 3.
What is Pony Boy and Johnny falling asleep in a lot?
The first two people Pony Boy and Dally encounter at the drive-in theater.
Who are Cherry and Marsha?
Who is Bob?
Though they haven't known each other very long by the end of chapter 2, his relationship with this character provides a unique perspective into the nature of Socs to Pony Boy, as she explains that things are rough all over, and that Socs are taught to keep their emotions inside so much that sometimes they boil over in destructive ways.
What is Pony Boy's relationship with Cherry?
This was the name of Soda Pop's beloved horse.
What is Mickey Mouse?
This was what Johnny decided to carry with him after being jumped in chapter 2, promising not to let himself get jumped again, instead resolving to kill his attackers.
What is a switchblade?
This is an event that happened before the book began which Pony Boy references as acceptable circumstances under which to cry in Darry's presence
What is Johnny being badly beaten by Socs?
Having been arrested as early as ten years old, this character spent three years of his life living in the wilder parts of New York, and as such is the toughest and most like a hoodlum of all the Greasers.
Who is Dally?
While Pony Boy doesn't particularly like this character for his personality, mean as he is, he also cannot help but respect this character's skills and experience with the operations of gangs.
What is Pony Boy's dynamic with Dally?
Youngest among the Curtis family, this character is the only one among his siblings who particularly enjoys reading books and watching movies. He is particularly smart, having skipped a year back in grade school, but this also means he's a little younger than most of his peers.
Who is Pony Boy?
This was the action which a gang of Socs threatened to perform on Pony Boy while he was walking home from the movie theater.
What is giving him a haircut?
This is an assumption Pony Boy made in chapter 2 which his narration states he would later realize he was wrong to make.
What is the assumption that if he had all the stuff the Socs had he'd consider himself lucky?