Gangs continue to be a part of our society. Gang initiation is not a topic in The Outsiders, but perhaps today it would be. Gang initiation in the past was something that happened to the prospective member. Today that prospective member is expected to do something to somebody else or something else. The characters in the novel talk little about acquiring new members, because Ponyboy's gang is like family.
Weapons would be more prominent in a contemporary book than in the 1960's version. The prevalence of automatic weapons and the relative ease in acquiring them would definitely make both the greasers and the Socs more dangerous.
Sex is not addressed in the novel, with the exception of when Soda's girlfriend has to leave town. S. E. Hinton was only sixteen when she wrote The Outsiders, and presumably she didn't include sex in the novel because her experiences writing as a teenage boy were limited. In today's more open society, the novel would probably include more discussion of this critical issue for teens. A movie made today would definitely cover this issue.
The premise of the whether the authorities will allow the three Curtis brothers to remain together is still viable.The novel makes reference to the need for a clean, respectable house for the imminent visits of social workers. The same procedure would probably be followed today if the boys had no other living relatives.
