The Outsiders Isolation

Ponyboy describes Johnny as totally isolated, like a lost puppy. The puppy in the crowd comparison shows that even though Johnny is surrounded by people, he's still isolated and alone.

This is what Cherry Valance tells Pony when they first meet. She's reminding him that everybody has problems that isolate them. She's right, but some problems are worse than others. At this point, she probably doesn't understand just how violently the Greasers are persecuted by the Socs.

Later, recalling Cherry's words, Pony refutes them. Poverty, he argues, presents a unique set of problems that the rich simply can't relate to. Poverty isolates people into certain areas where community services, opportunities, etc., are scarcer – in this case, the East Side. What do you think about the issue?

Pony understands that Mom and Dad's death isolated him in many ways, but he doesn't quite understand the impact on Darry. He has all the facts – Darry spends all his time working and worrying, cooking, cleaning, shopping, and even ironing. Pony and Soda help, but it's really on Darry – and he has nobody to turn to for the extra support he needs.

Pony loves to dream, pretend, and otherwise use his imagination to construct alternative realities. These help him cope with difficult situations, but sometimes also keep him from facing things that he might really need to deal with.

Johnny is most isolated by his relationship with his parents. Their abuse and neglect makes him feel completely worthless.

Dallas, an extremely isolated character, suggests that jail helped make him "hard" and that this hardness, while isolating, protects him. He might be saying that if Johnny were "hard" he wouldn't have jumped into a burning building, and wouldn't now be dying.

By understanding Soda's position, Pony's able to finally work toward bringing his family together.

Pony's vision is one of both connection and isolation. He feels strongly tied to all of these boys and wants to help free them from their isolation. With this desire, he begins to rejoin the word.

Pony is feeling very alone at this point. He's isolated from everything because he hasn't been able to process all the recent intense experiences, not to speak of the grief and possible guilt. He's even isolated from his own emotions.