Ponyboy is depicted as a rather self-conscious individual throughout the novel The Outsiders. He is well aware of how people see him in a negative light and resents the fact that he is judged for his Greaser persona. Ponyboy mentions that it doesn't matter whether or not he steals, drinks alcohol, and participates in criminal behavior because people will view him as being "lousy" regardless. He reasons that if people are going to have a negative perception of him, they might as well fear him, rather than look down on him. Having pity on an individual connotes that a person has sympathy for someone and feels sorry for them.
At the beginning of Chapter 11, Pony is looking through Soda's yearbook and comes across a picture of Bob Sheldon. He wonders if Bob's parents hate them, and comments,
"I hoped they hated us, that they weren't full of that pity-the-victims-of-environment junk the social workers kept handing Curly Shepard every time he got sent off to reform school. I'd rather have anybody's hate than their pity" (Hinton 138).
Pony hates the fact that he comes from the lower class and lives in a run-down neighborhood. Ponyboy is prideful and does not want anybody to feel sorry for him, like the social workers did for Curly Shepard. He would rather have people's hate than their pity, which is why he hides behind his aggressive Greaser persona to accommodate and protect his ego.
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