Sodapop Curtis, 16, is the middle Curtis brother and the bright heart of the gang. He is movie-star handsome: dark-gold hair, dancing dark-brown eyes, and a wide, easy grin. He dropped out to work full-time at the DX gas station with his best friend Steve, and he is genuinely good at it — quick with his hands, charming with customers. Soda is happy-go-lucky, funny, and physical: ruffling Ponyboy's hair, wrestling, joking constantly. But underneath the grin he is deeply sensitive, noticing feelings others miss. He is the peacemaker between Darry's strictness and Ponyboy's resentment, absorbing both sides' hurt because he cannot stand his brothers fighting. He wears his emotions on the surface — laughter comes easy, tears too. Loyal, warm, and open-hearted, his whole world is his family and his gang. Despite seeming happy and carefree, Soda has his own pain, especially over his failed relationship with Sandy, who had cheated on him and rejected his letter of marriage and offer to take care of the baby that wasn't his, he does do commitment.

Darrel "Darry" Curtis, 20, is the oldest Curtis brother and head of the household. He is 6'2", broad-shouldered and muscular from roofing, with dark-brown hair — a kick-out in front, a cowlick in back — and icy green-blue eyes. He gave up a football scholarship to raise his brothers, working two grueling jobs to keep the family together. He is strict, serious, and rarely smiles, pushing Ponyboy about grades and staying out of trouble. Ponyboy misreads this as a lack of love, but Darry's love is the load-bearing kind: food on the table, a roof overhead, showing up to every fight. He is proud, stubborn, and exhausted, carrying enormous responsibility with no one to lean on. He shows care through action, not words — providing, protecting, fixing — and only rarely lets his tenderness show.

Steve Randle, 17, is Sodapop's best friend since grade school and his partner at the DX gas station. Tall and lean with thick, heavily greased hair and tall sideburns he is weirdly vain about. Steve is cocky, smart-mouthed, and hot-tempered, with a competitive streak a mile wide — especially about cars, which he knows inside and out. He is openly antagonistic toward Ponyboy, calling him "kid" and treating him like a tagalong, partly jealous over Soda's closeness with his little brother. But when it counts, Steve is all Greaser loyalty: he shows up to every fight and never leaves a friend hanging. Impulsive and quick to throw a punch, loud and brash on the surface — but underneath he is brave, dependable, and fiercely protective of the people he claims as his own.

Keith "Two-Bit" Mathews, 18, is the oldest of the gang and its resident comedian: tall and stocky, wide ever-present grin, grey eyes, and long rusty-ginger sideburns. He got his nickname because he always has to put his two bits in — cracking jokes through fights, tense moments, and everything between. He is a notorious shoplifter, a heavy drinker, a brawler who loves a good rumble, and a massive Mickey Mouse fan. But he is more perceptive than his clown act suggests: he reads people accurately and often says what everyone else is afraid to say. He loves Ponyboy like a kid brother, teasing him relentlessly but going dead serious when Pony is hurting. Underneath the jokes he is loyal, big-hearted, and quietly thoughtful. His humor is his armor — and his gift to everyone around him. Two-Bit must always get his "two cents" into every conversation. He enjoys fights, beer, and school (which he attends purely for social reasons in his junior year.) He shoplifts, and has a switch blade,

Tim Shepard, 18, leads the Shepard gang — a tougher Greaser outfit from the Brumly side of town. Lean and catlike, with the tense, hungry look of an alley cat, constantly restless. Curly black hair, dark blue eyes, a twice-broken nose, and a long temple-to-chin scar from a broken pop bottle. His smile is grim and bitter. One of the few who genuinely enjoys being a hood, he runs his gang with strict discipline — the Shepards are organized, and he keeps every member in line. A genuine street hood, harder and colder than most Greasers Ponyboy knows. He and Dally share a rivalry built on mutual respect — slashed tires, broken ribs — but he brings his gang to the rumble on the Greasers' side. His little brother Curly is the wild one. Tim respects toughness and has no patience for weakness.

Sherri "Cherry" Valance, 16, Soc cheerleader — long red hair, green eyes. Compassionate and sharp, she sees Greasers as people — rare for a Soc. She befriends Ponyboy over shared sunsets; "things are rough all over" sums her up. She hates fighting and won't pretend the divide doesn't hurt both sides.

Randy Anderson, 17, Soc, semi-Beatle haircut, tall and good-looking with a weary edge. Smart and disillusioned, he's tired of the fighting and honest enough to call it pointless. After a frank talk with Ponyboy, he skips the rumble. Thoughtful, conflicted — one of the few Socs who questions his side.

Marcia, 16, Cherry's bff — Soc girl, short dark hair, constant giggle. Funny, down-to-earth, her silly humor matches Two-Bit joke for joke. She doesn't mind Greasers and loves the drive-in banter. Lighthearted, loyal, braver than she looks about crossing lines. Dates Randy.