Are the Socs and Greasers not what they think they are?

One of the significant life lessons that Ponyboy learns throughout the novel concerns the fact that the Socs are not the happy-go-lucky teenagers that he initially assumes they are. At the beginning of the novel, Ponyboy views the Socs as arrogant teenagers who have absolutely no worries and live wonderful lives because they are wealthy. However, Ponyboy learns from Cherry Valance that the Socs have different issues that they deal with on an everyday basis. Despite being affluent, the Socs have to always maintain appearances and act callously toward one another in order to be perceived as cool. Cherry informs Ponyboy that being a Soc is one big rat race. Later in the novel, Randy Adderson explains to Pony that Bob Sheldon was searching for someone to tell him "No," and he needed an authority figure. In contrast to Pony's initial thoughts, Randy is portrayed as a jaded, confused individual who is worried about his future. Through Ponyboy's several interactions with Cherry Valance and Randy Adderson, he learns that Socs also have serious issues. Similarly, Cherry and Randy learn that Greasers can be compassionate, heroic, and trustworthy from their interactions with Pony. Overall, both gangs gain valuable insight into the nature of their rivals and realize that their preconceived notions were incorrect.