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Why does Ponyboy believe you can't win against the Socs?

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Ponyboy believes you can't win against the Socs because they will always remain affluent and privileged, while the Greasers will stay in the lower class. Despite any physical victories in fights, the Socs' wealth and societal advantages ensure they always come out on top. Fighting does not change the Greasers' social status or improve their lives.

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Ponyboy realizes that he and the other Greasers will never "win" against the Socs because they will always occupy the lower class while the Socs will remain affluent and get all the breaks. Unlike the Greasers, who live in the rough neighborhoods of the East Side, the Socs come from wealthy, esteemed families and reside on the West Side. The Socs enjoy their privileged lives while the Greasers come from dysfunctional families that struggle to make ends meet. The two rival gangs hate each other and the Socs are notorious for jumping defenseless Greasers. Ponyboy and his fellow Greasers participate in violent rumbles against the Socs, which never solve their social differences or improve relations between the gangs. At different moments in the novel, Johnny and Randy both explain to Ponyboy that fighting is useless and will not solve anything. Even when the Greasers defeat the Socs in the big...

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rumble, the lives of Ponyboy and his fellow gang members do not improve and their social status does not change. Pony learns that fighting solves nothing and society will continue to favor the Socs even if the Greasers defeat them in a rumble.

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When Ponyboy says this, he does not mean it in the sense that you can never physically win a fight against them.  He is not saying that you can't beat up one of the Socs.  What he is saying is that no matter what you do to them, they are still going to end up on top in society.

Look at the whole passage where Pony says that you can't win against the Socs (it's on p. 11) of my book.  He says that it is

because they've got all the breaks and even whipping them isn't going to change that fact.

So what Pony is saying is that even if you beat up a Soc, they're still pretty rich and they'll still have nicer stuff than you and they'll still grow up and go to college.  You, meanwhile, will always be poorer and have fewer opportunities.  So no matter what, they win.

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