Imagine this: your parents are abusive and don’t want anything to do with you, so your gang is more like your family. You spend most of your time with the gang, and when you go home your parents either act like they don’t know you, or they torment you. This summary  shows the reader the life of a teen boy living in a rough part of town. A life where you are never safe, and constantly fighting to stay alive. Brotherhood is a very important topic because without the gang, Johnny would have no one to turn to when he needs help. Since his home life is rough, the gang's all he has.  Johnny shows how much he loves and cares for his friends in the book, The Outsiders and he sacrifices a lot and puts others in front of himself. 

S.E Hinton writes about how Johnny killed a Soc to save Ponyboy's life. “You really killed him, Johnny?…I had to, they ere going to kill you” (57). This quote explains how Johnny accidentally killed a Soc who was trying to drown Ponyboy. This starts to show how Johnny always saw the gang as his family. When the Socs were trying to kill ponyboy Johnny couldn’t just stand there and watch it happen. He needed to fight back, the gang's all he had. Hinton also explains how Johnny still felt bad when he was trying to keep Johnny safe from the police. “This is my fault,” Johnny said in a miserable voice. He had stopped crying when I started. “For bringing a little 13 year old kid along. You ought to go home. You can’t get into any trouble. You didn’t kill him” (74). This piece of evidence describes how Johnny felt bad even when he was trying to keep Pony safe.This shows how Johnny just wants the best for his friends. He doesn't want Ponyboy to suffer because of his actions. Hinton writes how Johnny doesn’t want to die anymore and he is finally starting to see purpose in his life. “I used to talk about killing myself… I don’t want to die now, it ain’t long enough. Sixteen years ain’t long enough” (121). Johnny has had a really hard life because he never really had a family to love and support him. So, his entire life he has wanted to die, but now, that he's so close to death he just wants to live. I feel like this shows how Johnny has finally found purpose in his life. He doesn't want to die because he just wants to be with his family (Gang). Hinton also explains how deeply Johnny’s death affected Dally.  “That's what you get for trying to help people you little punk, that's what you get.” (149) Although Dally said this I feel like it really showed how much of an effect Johnny had on Dally. Dally never loved anything as much as he loved Johnny. This is really interesting because it proves how much of an effect being kind and caring can have on someone. Once Johnny died Dally couldn’t even stand to live without him.   

“The Outsiders” shows that friendships can be just as strong as family. While it is true that you are usually blood related to your family, it is also true that your friends can become your family over time. Hinton conveys to the reader that you can have very strong bonds with your friends, that may be stronger than a bond with a family member. Alone you are strong, but together you will be stronger than ever.- Walter Peyton.