The Greasers (The East Side) Who they are: The working-class, lower-income kids. They often come from broken homes, have arrested parents, or are being raised by older siblings (like Ponyboy, Soda, and Darry). They wear their hair long and slicked back with grease (hence the name), wear leather or denim jackets, and blue jeans. Loyalty is everything. Because they lack financial security and stable families, their gang is their family. They look out for one another at all costs. They are highly emotional, passionate, and expressive. The Socs (The West Side) The wealthy, privileged kids from the affluent side of town. They wear expensive Madras shirts, drive shiny Corvairs and Mustangs, and have their futures handed to them on a silver platter. Reputation and coolness. Unlike the expressive Greasers, the Socs mask their feelings behind a wall of detached sophistication. The Socs are so consumed by having "everything" that they feel nothing at all, constantly looking for the next artificial thrill.

Their relationship is defined by a continuous cycle of class warfare. Because they cannot find common ground, their interactions usually fall into three categories: 1. Jumpings and Ambushes The Socs routinely use their mobility (their cars) to hunt down isolated Greasers on the East Side. They outnumber and beat up lone Greasers simply because they can, using weapons like rings or knives. This constant threat forces the Greasers to always walk in pairs or groups for survival. 2. "The Rumble" (Formally Arranged Gang Wars) When the tension between the two groups boils over, they arrange a "rumble"—a massive, structured street fight between both sides. These fights have strict ground rules (usually no weapons, just fists and feet), and are fought purely for bragging rights and territorial pride. Winning a rumble doesn't change anyone's socioeconomic reality; it just offers a temporary sense of victory. 3. Deep-Seated Prejudice Their verbal and mental behavior toward each other is rooted in stereotypes: To the Socs, the Greasers are "white trash with long hair" who will never amount to anything but criminals. To the Greasers, the Socs are spoiled, heartless rich kids who get away with everything because their parents have money to bail them out of trouble.

YEAR 1965

Guest was walking down the read when Guest had stopped to see a group of Socs jumping a boy. The boy was Ponyboy Curtis, and he was trying to struggle away from the Socs as they stuffed his mouth with a piece of cloth, trying to get him to be quiet as all of Ponyboy's shouts and yells were muffled and could barely be heard.