a criminal record since he was ten, he loves Johnny and looks out for him whenever there are fights. When Ponyboy and Johnny come to him after Johnny murders a Soc, Dally gives them aid even though doing so could return him to jail. 

• Ponyboy

A young sensitive boy, Ponyboy is always loyal to his friends, never abandoning them even if it jeopardizes his well-being. Ponyboy does not give up on a world in which he has been dealt with unjustly, having lost his parents. He still does well in school and is on the A team in track. Also, he loves his brothers, although things are difficult at times.

There was another column about just Darry and Soda and me: how Darry worked on two jobs at once and made good at both of them, and about his outstanding record at school; it mentioned Sodapop dropping out of school so we could stay together, and that I made the honor roll at school all the time and might be a future track star. (p.91)

In Two-Bit's eyes, Ponyboy and Johnny are the most innocent and promising of the kids in the book. All of them have come from rough upbringings without much family to speak of. Johnny is just a bit older than Ponyboy, and he is shy and reserved, making him seem less aggressive and boastful than some of the other Greasers. Meanwhile, Ponyboy is obviously the most intelligent, with a lifetime of possibilities ahead of him. All of the other boys in the group look at them as children that are pure and in need protecting.

Because of their innocence, Two-Bit sees them as promising individuals, and when they save the children from the fire, it cements their heroism in his eyes. They have always been selfless with the rest of the group, and Two-Bit immediately thinks they would never have questioned going back into the fire to save the children. Therefore, Two-Bit says they have always been heroes—they just now have the actions to prove it.

In S.E. Hinton’s story about boys from the “wrong side of the tracks” and their seemingly-perpetual conflict with the well-to-do Socs, The Outsiders, the theme of heroism and hero-worship is a constant. The Greasers are a tight-knit group of boys, all from lower-income and usually broken families, some the victims of physical abuse at the hands of uncaring parents. All these boys have is each other. For the novel’s main protagonist and narrator, however, there are also dreams of escaping this environment. Ponyboy is a smart, perceptive child forced to grow up too fast because of the death of his and his brothers’ parents and because of the socioeconomic conditions under which these boys exist. He is realistic about the circumstances of his life, and is hardened, to a certain degree, by his experiences. Nevertheless, he remains a kind, thoughtful boy whose underlying decency is not concealed by his outward appearance. In Chapter 2 of Hinton’s novel, Ponyboy and Johnny meet Cherry and Marcia, two Socs who have an unpleasant encounter with Dallas Winston, the toughest and most streetwise of the Greasers. In the following exchange, Cherry expresses her gratitude towards Ponyboy and Johnny for saving them from more of Dallas’ vituperation:

Cherry sighed in relief. "Thanks. He had me scared to death."

Johnny managed an admiring grin. "You sure didn't show it. Nobody talks to Dally like that."

 She smiled, "From what I saw, you do."

Johnny's ears got red. I was still staring at him. It had taken more than nerve for him to say what he'd said to Dally—Johnny worshiped the ground Dallas walked on, and I had never heard Johnny talk back to anyone, much less his hero.

The theme of heroism continues as Ponyboy describes the bonds that hold these boys together, noting, “You take up for your buddies, no matter what they do. When you're a gang, you stick up for the members. If you don't stick up for them, stick together, make like brothers, it isn't a gang any more. It's a pack.”

The “gang” is a family; for some of these boys, it’s the only real family they have. It protects them and provides a sense of belonging when going home is simply not an option. As Ponyboy’s narrative continues, though, it becomes more apparent that the coarse, grungy Dallas, or Dally, is the Greaser to whom the younger, weaker boys look up. In Chapter 5, Dallas’ toughness and personal code of honor again cause Ponyboy to reflect on his least favorite Greaser. Listening to Johnny describe the time Dallas took the blame for a minor crime committed by Two-Bit “without battin’ an eye or even denyin’ it,” Ponyboy observes:

“That was the first time I realized the extent of Johnny's hero-worship for Dally Winston. Of all of us, Dally was the one I liked least. He didn't have Soda's understanding or dash, or Two-Bit's humor, or even Darry's superman qualities. But I realized that these three appealed to me because they were like the heroes in the novels I read. Dally was real. I liked my books and clouds and sunsets. Dally was so real he scared me.”

So, the theme of heroism is well-established when Ponyboy and Johnny, having been hiding from the police following Johnny’s killing of a Soc, rescue a group of children from a burning church. The boys are now heroes in the public eye, with their photograph prominently displayed in the local newspaper with the caption: “JUVENILE DELINQUENTS TURN HEROES.” It is now when Two-Bit states, "What I like is the 'turn' bit . . . Y'all were heroes from the beginning. You just didn't 'turn' all of a sudden."

Two-Bit’s comment is a confirmation of what we’ve already observed about these boys. Heroes, an overused word, are not without fear. What makes most heroes is their instinctive will to act despite the risks to their personal safety. Johnny, in particular, is the most heroic of all of the Greasers, and his death from burns sustained in the fire is a prelude to the novel’s tragic development in Chapter 10 with Dallas’ “suicide-by-cop” shooting. Two-Bit’s observation about Johnny and Ponyboy, however, reaffirms the courage that these boys display every day, just by surviving until the next day.

Like all the boys, Two-Bit does not have the best home life.  Because the boys lack a sturdy family foundation, they rely on each other to get through the trials of life.  Ponyboy talks about the importance of friendship, of allowing friends to sleep on couches, of being able to fight with friends but still call on them when needed.  In Two-Bit's eyes, Dally, Johnny, and Pony all stuck together.  They helped each other out when needed; they were loyal and behaved selflessly.  Their adherence to the code of friendship makes them heroes.

Two-Bit Matthews is the oldest member of the Greasers and is known as a wisecracker, who is always making jokes and never seems to take anything seriously. Despite his humorous, carefree lifestyle, Two-Bit comes from a broken home and experiences the same struggles as most adolescents growing up on the East Side of town. Two-Bit's father ran out on him and his younger sister when they were children, leaving his mother to make ends meet as a local barmaid. Similar to Johnny, Dally, and the Curtis brothers, Two-Bit views the members of the Greaser gang as his family and relies on them for support.

After Pony, Johnny, and Dally become celebrities for saving the children from the burning church, Pony returns home, and Two-Bit takes exception to the headline that reads, "JUVENILE DELINQUENTS TURN HEROES." Two-Bit responds to the headline by saying, "Y'all were heroes from the beginning. You just didn't 'turn' all of a sudden" (Hinton, 90). Two-Bit makes this comment because he recognizes that his friends were always strong, caring individuals, who overcame various obstacles on an everyday basis. He knows Johnny, Pony, and Dally personally and is aware of their selfless, magnanimous personalities.

He appreciates his friends for always lending a helping hand, making sacrifices, and offering him support when he needed it the most. Two-Bit recalls Dally taking the blame for his crimes, spending countless nights on the Curtis family's couch, and appreciates the way Johnny listened to his problems. Unlike the rest of society, Two-Bit understands and values the boys' generosity and integrity, which is why he has always viewed them as heroes.