the Socs in the first place because, on Ponyboy's suggestion, they were hanging out in a park late at night when the drunken Socs also turned up. Ponyboy, in effect, had already run away from home after his oldest brotherDarry hit him. Ponyboy has a tempestuous relationship with Darry for much of the book. Darry worries about him a lot and gets angry with him very easily in consequence. Ponyboy isn't able to understand why Darry acts as he does, and this precipitates his running away from home.

Ponyboy's running away from home and subsequent hiding-out with Johnny from the law shows that he is feeling lost and miserable and confused. After all he is still very young and he has recently been through the trauma of losing both his parents, and he resorts to desperate measures. He also sticks valiantly by Johnny, his friend and fellow-Greaser. He stays with him even when Johnny urges him to go home:

"This is my fault," Johnny said in a miserable voice. He had stopped crying when I started. "For bringin' a little thirteen-year-old kid along. You ought to go home. You can't get into any trouble. You didn't kill him."

"No!" I screamed at him. "I'm fourteen! I've been fourteen for a month! And I'm in it as much as you are.'

The quote above shows how loyal Ponyboy is to Johnny and the other Greasers. It also shows that, like so many of his age, he is anxious not to be thought of as a mere kid.

Another major action of Ponyboy's is when he, along with Johnny rescues the kids who are stuck in the burning church. He is the one who begins the rescue effort. He proves himself to be brave and selfless when he does this, although it is true he also feels guilty over the fire because he thinks he and Johnny probably started it inadvertently by dropping a lit cigarette while they'd been hiding out in the church. 

Ponyboy is the narrator in The Outsiders and he describes his family, friends and his life in terms of his own understanding. As a teenage boy whose parents died in a motor vehicle accident, Ponyboy is cared for by his twenty year old brother Darry who he feels treats him like he is "six not fourteen" and who is "hard and firm and rarely grins at all" (chapter 1). Ponyboy is smart and does well at school. He is even in the "A classes." When he takes his switchblade out in Biology class so that he can do a dissection, he shocks a pretty girl next to him who calls him a "hood." His high IQ sets him apart from the other members of the "Greasers'" gang but a poor decision on his behalf when he runs away after Darry scolds him, telling him off for coming home too late, results in tragedy for the Greasers.

The "Socs" are the rival gang in the neighborhood and they apparently think they are better than Greasers; Ponyboy describes them as "the west side rich kids."   After chatting with two "Socs'" girls, Cherry and Marcia, at a movie, Ponyboy and Johnny are threatened by the Socs, and after a confrontation, Johnny kills one of the Socs in self-defense. Ponyboy and Johnny are forced into hiding, and with Dally's help, they hide away in a "spooky" church (chapter 4). Ponyboy and Johnny pass the time in the church reading Gone with the Wind and playing poker but then a fire in the church after the boys have left, means that they run back to save some children who have gone exploring in the church. Ponyboy breaks the window of the church and climbs through, closely followed by Johnny. The boys save all the children and are suddenly "professional heroes" (chapter 6) according to the teachers who escort them to hospital. 

Ponyboy is not badly hurt but Johnny is, and only at the hospital does Ponyboy realize how much Darry really loves him. After an inquiry, Ponyboy is relieved that he will not be going to prison or to a boys' home but unfortunately, Johnny will never recover and will die of his injuries, sustained while rescuing the children.  

Ponyboy Curtis, the main character of S.E. Hinton's novel The Outsiders,demonstrates in many ways a dichotomy. He exhibits noble character traits like bravery, loyalty, kindness and compassion. He also walks on the wild side and doesn't follow all the laws of the land. He follows his own moral code and that sets him apart from mainstream society.

Although the crimes Ponyboy commits in the novel are mild compared to those of others in his gang, they are nonetheless against the law. Two-Bit Matthews is a shoplifter, Dally was arrested in New York, and the others have been involved in many fights. Steve Randle steals hubcaps. Ponyboy mentions in the opening chapter that he has never been in a fight. He explains the activities of his group in chapter one: 

"Greasers are almost like hoods; we steal things and drive souped-up old cars and hold up gas stations and have a gang fight once in a while. I don't mean I do those things like that. Darry would kill me if I got in trouble with the police. "

One of the crimes he commits is sneaking into the drive-in movies without paying admission. 

Another crime he commits is trespassing. This is done when Ponyboy and Johnny camp out in the abandoned church to hide after Johnny kills the Soc. Even though the church is abandoned, it is still private property, and they did not obtain permission to be there. 

He commits a third crime during the rumble between the Greasers and the Socs near the end of the novel. Street fighting is illegal and would fall under assault, disorderly conduct, and disturbing the peace. 

In Oklahoma, where the novel is set, the law regarding cigarettes is that it is illegal to sell, give, or otherwise supply someone under the age of 18 with cigarettes. It doesn't specifically prohibit smoking by a minor, though other states, like Rhode Island, do, so his smoking in the novel is more the crime of those who supply him with cigarettes. 

The last crime Ponyboy commits is threatening bodily harm against the three Socs in chapter twelve.

"'You're the guy who killed Bob Sheldon. And he was a friend of ours. We don't like nobody killing our friends, especially greasers.'

Big deal. I busted the end off my bottle and held onto the neck and tossed away my cigarette. 'You get back into your car or you'll get split.'"

This could be considered felony menacing, or assault. Under Oklahoma state law, assault is defined as threatening or attempting to cause bodily harm to another person. 

On the other hand, Ponyboy also heroically rescues children from the burning church, builds a bridge of peace with Randy the Soc and Cherry Valance, and picks up the pieces of broken glass after threatening the Socs in chapter twelve. It is this dichotomy of characteristics that makes him a timeless and relatable character. 

Ponyboy committed several crimes throughout the novel The Outsiders. One of the first crimes Ponyboy commits is sneaking into the movies with Dally and Johnny without paying for tickets. Later on in the novel, Johnny and Ponyboy run away from home after Johnny kills Bob Sheldon. Both Johnny and Ponyboy illegally trespass by entering and staying in the abandoned church. Throughout the entire novel, Ponyboy smokes cigarettes which are illegal to minors. Ponyboy is only 14 years old, and in Chapter 9, Jerry comments, "uh, you're too young" (Hinton 97). When Ponyboy joins the Greasers in the rumble against the Socs, he illegally assaults the Soc gang members by physically fighting them. In Chapter 12, Ponyboy threatens to cut three Socs with a broken bottle which is also illegal.

In The Outsiders, Ponyboy Curtis has a few habits.  As you correctly pointed out, two are drinking Pepsi and smoking cigarettes.  He also has a habit of doing things without fully thinking them through.  For example, in chapter one he walks home from the movies alone although he knows better.  He does this because he "just doesn't think" and almost gets hurt because of it.  This particular habit drives his brother, Darry, crazy and causes many conflicts later in the novel.

Other than those, he doesn't display many habits.  He enjoys reading, going to the movies, and watching sunsets; but, I wouldn't call those habits.  They are simply his interests.

Ponyboy is the novel's protagonist, and there are numerous events that Ponyboy plays a significant role in throughout the novel. The novel begins when a group of Socs jumps Ponyboy in Chapter 1. After, Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally sneak into the drive-ins where they meet two Soc girls, Cherry and Marcia. After sharing a connection with Cherry, Ponyboy and Johnny hang out in a vacant lot and discuss the social issues of their city. Ponyboy returns home past his curfew, and his older brother, Darry, slaps him in the face. Ponyboy runs out of the house and meets up with Johnny. While they are hanging out at a local park, five Socs approach them and attempt to drown Ponyboy in the park's fountain. Ponyboy passes out, and when he wakes up, Johnny tells him that he's stabbed and killed a Soc. Ponyboy runs away to Windrixville with Johnny, where they stay in an abandoned church. Ponyboy and Johnny become close friends and bond over the novel Gone With the Wind. Dally comes to visit them and takes them out to eat. When they return to their hideout, they see the church on fire. Ponyboy and Johnny enter the burning church and save several children who are trapped inside. Johnny ends up getting hurt in the burning church, and Ponyboy visits him at the hospital. While Johnny is in the hospital, Ponyboy participates in a huge rumble against the Socs. Ponyboy gets kicked in the head and suffers a concussion. Following the rumble, Johnny and Dally both die and Ponyboy suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. He begins to fail his classes and argues with Darry continually. At the end of the novel, Sodapop convinces Ponyboy and Darry to stop fighting, and Ponyboy decides to write the novel The Outsiders in order to tell the story of his friends' tragic lives. Ponyboy matures and develops his perspective on life throughout the novel by interacting with both the Socs and Greasers.