The Outsiders focuses on giving readers insight into a group of people who are normally looked down upon in society. The novel also shows that the greasers follow a moral code, even when they break the law. The idea of honor among the lawless is exemplified by Dally Winston. Although he has an extensive criminal record, his sense of pride and loyalty motivates him to help Johnny and Ponyboy find a way out of town after Johnny kills Bob. This is made more apparent when Johnny compares Dally to the Southern gentlemen in Gone with the Wind, who rode “into sure death because they were gallant.” As a result of Johnny and Ponyboy’s saving the children from the burning church, and Dally’s saving Johnny’s life, the newspaper prints an article called “Juvenile Delinquents Turn Heroes.” This shows how public perception of the greasers has begun to change, as people recognize that one can be an honorable or ethical person despite having a criminal background.

When Ponyboy first recites “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” it is in response to Johnny wishing that the beautiful sunrise could last forever. Although Ponyboy says he doesn’t understand the poem, the reader is left to draw the connection between beauty and its transitory nature. On his deathbed, Johnny tells Ponyboy to “stay gold,” alluding to the poem, although a fuller explanation isn’t given. Only when Ponyboy finds Johnny’s letter are we given Johnny’s interpretation of the poem, saying, “You’re gold when you’re a kid, like green. . . . It’s just when you get used to everything that it’s day. Like the way you dig sunsets, Pony. That’s gold. Keep that way, it’s a good way to be.” Johnny’s letter connects the poem to the major theme of the novel, which is that our personal character transcends social class and allows us to connect with each other.