He has a sensitive, darkly handsome face with a goofy, lovable grin. He has silky, dark gold hair that he combs back. He has dark brown eyes that are reckless, dancing, and laughing. Ponyboy describes Soda as someone who "gets drunk on just plain living". He acts as the peacekeeper caught in the middle of arguments between his oldest brother Darry and youngest brother Ponyboy. He dropped out of high school to work at a local gas station and help support his family.

Stands 6 feet 2 inches tall with a broad-shouldered and muscular build. Has dark-brown hair with a cowlick in the back and pale blue-green ice-like eyes. Looks older than 20 and is often compared to a "Greek God" or "Superman". He takes on the role of both parents after his mom and dad die in a car crash. He gives up a college athletic scholarship to work two manual labor jobs to support his younger brothers. He pushes Ponyboy hard because he fears losing him to the state system or seeing his potential wasted, which initially causes tension between them. He is a tough, smart, and proud leader of the Greasers who enjoys showing off his athletic strength in fights to protect his friends.

He is 14 years old, the youngest member of the Greaser gang, and has a slim, small build. he has dark brown hair, and grayish-green eyes. He wears his hair greased back in typical Greaser fashion and wears casual clothes like T-shirts, blue jeans, and sweaters. He is quiet, smart, skips a grade, and loves reading, watching movies, and enjoying sunsets. He lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with his older brothers, Darry and Sodapop, after their parents die in a car crash. He often clashes with his strict older brother, Darry, who acts as his guardian. Deeply loyal to his working-class friends, he finds himself caught in the violent rivalry between the Greasers and the wealthy Socs.

He is the smallest and youngest-looking member of the gang, described as slight and small for his age. He has a dark, tanned face, large black eyes, and long, jet-black hair with bangs that fall across his forehead. He always has a nervous, suspicious look in his eyes because a rival group of Socs previously beat him badly. His parents physically and verbally abuse him, leaving him neglected at home and often forced to sleep in vacant lots. Despite his tough surroundings, he is sensitive, gentle, unselfish, and deeply appreciative of beauty like sunsets. Because he is vulnerable and abused, the other Greasers treat him like a younger brother or a "lost puppy that has been kicked too many times".

Dally has dark brown, greased-back hair and brown eyes. He wears dark blue jeans, a black shirt, and a dark brown leather bomber jacket. He also wears a Saint Christopher's necklace. He is considered the roughest, meanest, and most rebellious member of the Greasers, shaped heavily by his prior time spent in New York City and jail. Despite his cold exterior, he shows deep loyalty and a protective soft spot for Johnny Cade.

Stands about six feet tall with a stocky build. Has striking gray eyes and a wide, friendly grin. Proudly wears long, rusty-colored sideburns. His real name is Keith, but he earned the nickname "Two-Bit" because he always has to get his "two-bits worth" in and make a smart remark. He loves shoplifting, fine-bladed switchblades, school (for some unfathomable reason, despite being a junior at 18), and fighting. Beneath his goofy, carefree exterior, he is deeply protective and loyal to his friends, acting like an older brother to Ponyboy.

Steve is a 17-year-old Greaser who is tall, lean, cocky, and fiercely loyal to his best friend, Sodapop Curtis. His hair is Thick and greasy, styled in a complex, messy arrangement of swirls. Confident and cocky, often wearing a smirk. He knows everything about cars and works at a DX gas station alongside Sodapop. He is smart and aggressive when needed, famously holding off four opponents with a broken soda bottle in a fight.