Throughout the novel The Outsiders, the Greasers are a gang made up of the less fortunate members of society. Each individual in the gang has a rough home life and is viewed with contempt by authority figures and upper-class citizens. Despite their less than appealing lifestyle and appearance, they are very close friends who support each other through numerous difficult times. In Chapter 1, Ponyboy mentions that Johnny's father is abusive, and Johnny would not know what love and affection were if he didn't belong to the gang. A Greaser would define friendship as a loyal, unbreakable bond between friends to support one another regardless of circumstances.
Throughout the novel, Greasers are continually offering one another support and selflessly remain loyal. After Ponyboy gets jumped at the beginning of the novel, his friends are quick to rally around him. When Ponyboy gets slapped by his brother, Johnny is there to comfort and support him. Dally immediately gives Johnny and Pony a gun and money to help them run away when they are in need of assistance. Johnny courageously follows Pony into the burning church to help him, and Dally selflessly risks his life to pull Johnny from the flames. Even after Dally is admitted to the hospital, he decides to leave the confines of his room to help his friends fight the Socs, along with Ponyboy, who is clearly ill from living in the abandoned church. Ponyboy even mentions how Darry leaves the door unlocked so fellow Greasers can come in and sleep on their couch if they need a place to rest. These numerous examples illustrate a Greaser's definition of friendship.
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