Underprivileged In S. E. Hinton's The Outsiders

For thousands of years, social classes have been influencing people's opinions of one another. Beginning in Ancient Egypt, and continuing in modern America, people are separated because of things like income, education, and occupation. For example, an individual with great wealth and a high education may see someone lacking those things as unworthy, even refusing to treat them with the respect that they would offer someone who is similarly prosperous to themselves. On the opposing side, the underprivileged may see the wealthy as stuck up, and ungrateful, and also treat them unkindly. In S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders, the socs and greasers judge each other based on their economic status, which leads to negative beliefs, and actions about themselves and each other,

A portion of the dialogue that conveys their low opinions of one another is when Bob said to Ponyboy, and Johnny “You know what a greaser is? White trash with long hair” (55). To which Ponyboy angrily replied, “You know what a Soc is? White trash with mustangs and madras” (55). At this moment Ponyboy and the socs were angry, and the insults and spoken judgment led to a fight, which resulted in nothing positive for either group. The Socs and Greasers judging each other based on their economic status led to community issues. Some examples of said issues are lowered safety, and a negative environment. This is explained in the first two pages of the book, when Ponyboy thinks “Greasers can't walk alone too much or they'll get jumped, or someone will come by and scream "Greaser!" at them” (2). It was a known fact to him when walking home from the movie theater, and was proven true only moments later when he was jumped by a group of socs. This unsafe environment where people get attacked, and mocked when simply walking home is a result of the judgment between Socs and Greasers, and has an awful impact on the lives of