Although the greasers' prospects are not great, the boys all have dreams and ambitions. Everyone expects Ponyboy to eventually go to college after he completes high school--something none of the other boys will ever be able to do. Pony just wants to be

     In the country... I loved the country. I wanted to be out of towns and away from excitement.

Darry's dreams of a college football scholarship are gone forever, but he hopes to keep Soda and Pony out of trouble so they can remain together as a family. Soda hopes to marry his girlfriend, Sandy, but by the end of the story he knows that will not happen. Johnny just hopes to go somewhere

"... without greasers or Socs, with just people. Plain ordinary people."

Dally would probably be happiest riding horses, since he jockeyed for his friend, Buck Merrill.

It was the only thing Dally did honestly.