In The Outsiders, what does Cherry say is the real separation between the Socs and the greasers?

Cherry and Ponyboy discuss the separation between the Socs and the greasers at the start of chapter 3 of The Outsiders. This discussion comes after Cherry has already told Ponyboy that things are not only bad for the greasers, but for the Socs as well. She goes on to tell him that sometimes when talking to friends she will “realize I don’t mean half of what I’m saying” (Hinton 38). She confides in him...

Cherry and Ponyboy discuss the separation between the Socs and the greasers at the start of chapter 3 of The Outsiders. This discussion comes after Cherry has already told Ponyboy that things are not only bad for the greasers, but for the Socs as well. She goes on to tell him that sometimes when talking to friends she will “realize I don’t mean half of what I’m saying” (Hinton 38). She confides in him why she believes the two groups are separated from one another. She tells Ponyboy the real separation occurs because the greasers have a different set of values from the Socs. The greasers are “more emotional” and the Socs are “sophisticated-cool to the point of not feeling anything” (Hinton 38). She describes Soc life as “always going and going and going, and never asking where" (Hinton 38). Ponyboy builds on this idea when he tells Cherry, “It’s not money, it's feeling—you don’t feel anything and we feel too violently” (Hinton 38). This dialogue between the two shows the real reason behind why the Socs and the greasers are separated from one another.

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