Dally, a record with the police a mile long and Johnny, no record with the police at all, you would think they would be very different but that are also very alike. Johnny and Dally are both the same in a way for example, they both have abusive and neglectful parents. “His father was always beating him up, and his mother ignored him, and then you could hear her yelling at him clear down at our house”(12). Johnny’s dad abuses him and his mom ignores him. Dally’s parents neglect him. “Shoot, my old man don’t give a hang whether I’m in jail or dead in a car wreck or drunk in the gutter. That don’t bother me none”(88). His parents do not care enough for him. Johnny and Dally’s parents do not have the parental skills to raise a child. This is a difference between Johnny and Dally. …show more content…
Dally cares for Johnny in a way. Dally says “You get hardened in jail. I don’t want it to happen to you like it happened to me“(90). Johnny wants to stay with Dally. ”Johnny worshiped the ground Dally walked on”(60). Dally protects Johnny because he cares for him. This is a similarity between two very opposite type of people. Johnny and Dally also have many differences, for example, Johnny and Dally give different advice to Ponyboy in the novel. Dally is a tough guy and does not get hurt. He tells pony to “get tough like me and you don’t get hurt”(147). Dally thinks when you are tough you can not get hurt. However Johnny wants ponyboy to stay innocent. “Stay gold ponyboy. Stay gold”(148). Stay gold means stay innocent or stay the way you are. Johnny does not want Ponyboy to become tough like Dally because he sees no good in the