I think one really has to consider the narrator's reliability before making this statement. A reliable narrator can often make the story more meaningful rather than limit its understanding. Despite Ponyboy coming of age with teen angst, he is actually pretty reliable as a narrator. He is not prone to exaggeration or lying. Even when Ponyboy is upset about Darry treating him like a kid, the reader understands Ponyboy's limitations as a child narrator. We know he processes things as a teen. This doesn't make him an unreliable narrator. Pony gives the reader an intimate sensitive and open minded perspective they might otherwise not get.