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The Outsiders

by S. E. Hinton

One question a night. There are no wrong answers, and you are allowed to change your mind at the end.

1. 1

   Ponyboy says Socs and greasers are the same underneath. Do you buy that, or is it the thing he needs to believe?

2. 2

   Darry is twenty and raising two brothers. What has he given up, and does Ponyboy see it?

3. 3

   Johnny is the one everyone protects and the one who acts. Why do you think Hinton wrote him that way?

4. 4

   Dally says to stay tough and Johnny says to stay gold. Which advice would you follow this year?

5. 5

   The book was written by a sixteen-year-old. What does it get right that adult books about teenagers usually miss?

6. 6

   Where does the loyalty in this group turn from a good thing into a trap?

7. 7

   Cherry crosses between the two groups and pays for it. What does the book say about who is allowed to move?

8. 8

   Is there anyone in this story an adult could have saved? Which adult, and when?

9. 9

   Ponyboy writes it all down as a school assignment. Why does telling it help him?

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June 2026 pick. Last updated 19 August 2026.