Perhaps the scariest change would be in the way the adults and the adolescents relate. On the whole, the teens in The Outsiders have little or nothing to do with adults. The few times they cross paths, however, the adults are there to help them. When Johnny and Pony are in the country, and Pony stops a local farmer to ask for directions, he answers the questions kindly and without suspicion, and then laughs, "Boys will be boys."
After Johnny's death, Pony leaves the hospital dazed and confused. A man picks him up, and takes him home to his waiting brothers. Today teenagers often frighten adults — especially teenagers who appear to be gang members. Adults assume that a teen who looks like a hood probably has a gun and will use it. Therefore, an adult is usually not going to stop and help a suspicious-looking teen. Teenagers in the l960s knew that whether they wanted help or not, an adult was usually someone they could turn to in a time of need. That is not the case today. Teenagers are usually on their own — truly outsiders.
