Compare and contrast the struggles that are faced by the Greasers and the Socs at this point in the novel.
This happens in two instances. In chapter 2, Ponyboy has just finished relating the story of Johnny's attack to Cherry, and to the reader for the first time. Cherry is shocked, but points out to him that not all Socs act that way, just like not all Greasers act like Dally. She insists that "We have troubles you've never even heard of."
In Chapter 7, as Randy tells Ponyboy that he is tired of fighting and is going to leave town instead of going to the rumble, Ponyboy remembers Cherry saying "Things are rough all over," and understands what she meant. By the end of the chapter, Ponyboy has decided that, "Things were rough all over, but it was better that way. That way you could tell the other guy was human too."
