Darrel "Darry" Curtis Jr. is the 20-year-old eldest brother and parental figure to Ponyboy and Sodapop. He stands six-feet-two inches tall, with broad shoulders and a muscular, athletic build. He has dark-brown hair that kicks out in the front and a slight cowlick in the back, just like his father's. His pale blue-green eyes resemble two pieces of ice, giving him a cold, determined, and tough expression. He looks older than twenty, appearing smart, cool, and handsome despite his stern look. He serves as the head of the household and unofficial leader of the Greasers after his parents die in a car crash. He gave up a college football scholarship and a potential future to work two menial labor jobs to support his younger brothers. He is strict, demanding, and hard on Ponyboy out of fear of losing his family, though his tough exterior masks deep love and protective care.

He is 16 going on 17, positioned between his older brother Darry and his younger brother Ponyboy. Ponyboy describes him as movie-star handsome, happy-go-lucky, and understanding. Soda acts as the emotional peacemaker, trying to stop Darry and Ponyboy from fighting. He dropped out of high school and works full-time at a local gas station alongside his friend Steve Randle. He has long, silky, dark-gold hair that he combs back. In the summer, the sun bleaches it to a lighter wheat color. His eyes are dark brown and described as "lively, dancing, recklessly laughing eyes that can be gentle and sympathetic one minute and blazing with anger the next."He is slim, slightly shorter than his older brother Darry, and possesses a finely built, athletic frame. He almost always has a wide, infectious grin on his face.

He is fourteen, making him the youngest Curtis brother. He has Light brown with a reddish tint, worn long in the Greaser style hair. His eyes are Greenish-gray. Small and slender for his age, though he has a decent physique and handles himself okay in a fight. Wears standard Greaser attire like blue jeans, t-shirts, leather jackets, and sneakers or boots. He skipped a grade in school, gets good grades, and loves reading and art. He is thoughtful, introspective, and appreciates sunsets and poetry like Robert Frost’s "Nothing Gold Can Stay". Despite his book smarts, he sometimes fails to think things through, which causes friction with his oldest brother. Deeply devoted to his brothers (Darry and Sodapop) and his gang.

He is 17 years old, tall, and lean. He has thick, greasy hair that he styles back in a complicated, messy arrangement of swirls. He often has a cocky or arrogant expression and carries himself with a tough, confident attitude. He knows everything about mechanics and cars, working alongside his best friend at a local DX gas station. He and Sodapop Curtis have been best friends since grade school. Ponyboy notes that while Soda fights for fun, Steve fights out of pure hatred and resentment toward the Socs.

Keith "Two-Bit" Mathews is the eighteen-year-old, wisecracking joker of the Greaser gang. He stands about six feet tall with a stocky build. He has gray eyes and a wide grin. He takes great pride in his long, rusty-colored sideburns. His real name is Keith, but he earned the nickname "Two-Bit" because he always had to get his two cents' worth into every conversation. He is a junior in high school at eighteen and a half, hates to work, and loves shoplifting, school, fights, and girls. He carries a black-handled switchblade that he proudly stole. Despite treating life like a joke, he is warmhearted, fiercely protective of Ponyboy and Johnny, and stands by his chosen family.

Dallas "Dally" Winston is 17 years old. Dally has dark brown hair and hazel or brown eyes. He wears dark blue jeans, a black t-shirt, and a dark brown leather bomber jacket. Dally is the most rebellious, hardened, and fearless member of the Greasers. Beneath his mean and angry exterior, he shows a protective, caring side—especially toward Johnny Cade and Ponyboy Curtis.

Johnny Cade is a 16-year-old Greaser. He is the smallest and youngest of the core Greaser group, looking like a "little dark puppy" that has been beaten down. He has large, black eyes, jet-black hair, and a dark, tanned face bearing the physical scars of a brutal beating by the rival Socs. He always carries a nervous, suspicious look in his eyes from constant fear and trauma. He suffers severe physical abuse from his father and neglect from his mother, making the Greaser gang his true family. Because of his home life and a prior attack by Socs, he is intensely nervous, quiet, and afraid of the world. Despite his harsh environment, he retains a deep innocence, gentleness, and a thoughtful appreciation for literature and poetry (such as Robert Frost's work)