The Outsiders focuses on issues of social class, exemplified by confrontations between the lower-class greasers and the upper-class Socs. Ponyboy hasn’t done anything to provoke the Socs into ganging up on him, but this is not a personal or unusual attack; the Socs regularly beat up greasers, and the greasers retaliate. The relations between the social classes are made more complicated when Johnny and Ponyboy befriend the Soc girls Cherry and Marcia at the movies. Ponyboy is surprised to find that he relates to Cherry. This is the first instance where readers see that the Socs are not all the same and that there is a common bond across the social classes. Despite learning that the Socs have their own problems, the preexisting tensions cause the Socs to want to punish Johnny and Ponyboy for associating with the Soc girls. This prompts Bob, a Soc, to force Ponyboy’s head underwater at the fountain and leads Johnny to kill Bob.

One of the primary differences between the social classes is how they are perceived in public. The title of the novel, The Outsiders, refers to the fact that the greasers are not typically thought of as good kids or productive members of society. The Socs, on the other hand, are condemned for causing fights and wrecking houses but are just as likely to receive recognition and praise for their accomplishments. This perception slowly begins to change throughout the novel as the result of a closer look at the conflict between Ponyboy, Johnny, and Bob, and the boys’ heroic efforts with the burning church.