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On the surface, the main conflict of The Outsiders is the one between the greasers and the Socs, the lower-class hoods (the \"outsiders\" of the title) and the upper-class bullies. The open class warfare between these two loosely- organized youth gangs defines every element of the novel, from the way the characters dress (the greasers wear ripped-up jeans, leather jackets, and hair grease, while the Socs wear madras shirts and khaki pants) and get around (the greasers walk in groups, while the Socs drive Mustangs and Corvettes) to the divided physical layout of the novel\'s setting (the greasers live on the impoverished East Side of Tulsa, while the Socs live on the wealthy West Side). The conflict between the greasers and the Socs escalates throughout the novel, and culminates in the climactic gang fight, or \"rumble,\" that takes place in Chapter 9.
On a deeper level, however, the real conflict in The Outsiders is within the characters themselves, as the core group of greasers and Socs gradually realizes the futility of their conflict, the commonality of human experience, and the levels of identity that lie beneath the designations of social class. Through the murder of Bob and the deaths of Johnny and Dally, Ponyboy, Cherry, and Randy all come to realize that there are more meaningful ways to interact that to fight simply because of class difference. This theme of commonality, tolerance, and maturity is gradually insisted upon throughout the novel as Ponyboy gains more and more perspective; it is symbolized through Ponyboy and Cherry\'s conversation about sunsets, when he tells her to remember that the sunset is just as beautiful on the East Side as it is on the West Side.
Another important theme that persists throughout the book is that of the transition from childhood to adulthood, from innocence to experience. In the violent, unforgiving world of the greasers, innocence is a precious commodity, and most of the greasers are hard and tough before they reach their late teens. This is why Johnny is so important to Ponyboy\'s gang- -he represents that quality of innocence which the others have lost. By protecting Johnny, the greasers are able to cling to and defend an innocence they themselves have forsaken; when Johnny dies, the group is forced to come to terms with the fact that their innocence is gone. The hardest and toughest of all the greasers, Dally, is also the one who needs Johnny the most; when Johnny dies, Dally breaks down, and is gunned down by the police for robbing a grocery store not long after. The theme of innocence is symbolized in the Robert Frost poem, \"Nothing Gold Can Stay,\" which Ponyboy reads to Johnny at the Windrixville church, beginning with the line \"Nature\'s first green is gold\" and ending with the line \"Nothing gold can stay.\" As Johnny dies, he tells Ponyboy to \"stay gold,\" urging Ponyboy to hold on to his innocence despite the harsh conditions of his world.
The theme of transition from childhood is also an important part of Ponyboy\'s experience in the novel, as he struggles to come to terms with the control of his brother Darry, who raises him after their parents die in a car crash. Darry is strict and demanding, and Ponyboy is unable to understand that Darry treats him this way only because he loves him and hopes to see him make something of himself. Finally, after the fire, Ponyboy is able to understand that Darry loves him, but only after Sodapop, the middle brother, pleads with them not to fight anymore does Ponyboy realize the true value of his family. This is the final lesson of unity Ponyboy learns in the book, and directly precipitates his reconciliation with Johnny and Dally\'s deaths, and his decision to tell their story in the term paper that, as we learn at the end of the novel, becomes the narrative of The Outsiders.
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