1. What draws Cherry to the greasers? Why is she with Bob? Why does she say she could fall in love with Dally?

2. Discuss the role of the novel’s physical setting. How does the division between the East Side and the West Side represent the conflict within the novel itself?

3. Compare and contrast the Curtis brothers, Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy. How does their relationship change over the course of the novel?

4. Think about the role of physical violence in the novel. Is the violence shocking, predictable, boring, or melodramatic? Do you think such violence has a different effect on readers today than it did when the novel was first published?