Your answer is gentle souls are often disguised by rough exteriors. The others do not cover the overall theme of the book. Yes some rich and poor kids do not get along, but that is not an overall lesson. Also how often did they walk home alone. The story does not revolve around that. Last, Cherry was not a main character, she was not a main part of the plot. So your answer is once again the first one, it goes with the overall plot of the story.
Option a. A theme found in The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is the one that gentle souls are often disguised by rough exteriors.
Explanation:
"The Outsiders" is a novel written by American writer S.E Hinton that was first published on April 2nd, 1967. The novel tells the story of an on-going conflict between two gangs separated from each other by their socioeconomic status.
One of the main themes of "The outsiders" is how life-altering experiences often make people hide their gentle souls and emotions and disguise them with rough exteriors and violence. The reader can see how Ponyboy and the rest of the boys of the gang have such rough upbringings shaped by isolation, abandonment and sadness, that they have the necessity to protect themselves by acting in violent and aggressive manners, in order to survive on their own.