The Outsiders is a novel written by S.E. Hinton that tells the story of two rival teenage gangs, the Greasers and the Socs, in a small town in Oklahoma. The Greasers are a group of working-class boys who wear their hair long and grease it back, while the Socs are a group of wealthy boys who drive fancy cars and wear preppy clothes.
The story follows Ponyboy Curtis, a Greaser who struggles to find his place in the world and deal with the violence and prejudice that surrounds him. When Ponyboy's friend Johnny kills a Soc in self-defense, the two boys go on the run and seek help from their fellow Greasers.
As tensions between the two gangs escalate, Ponyboy must confront his own prejudices and learn to see beyond the labels that society has placed on him and his friends. The novel explores themes of friendship, loyalty, and the struggle to find one's identity in a world that is quick to judge.