Cherry Believes that Both Gangs Have it Tough (Situational Irony) When Ponyboy and Cherry go to the concessions stand at the drive-in movie, Cherry makes the observation that things are tough everywhere, whether one is a Greaser or a Soc. She laments that if only the gang members realized this was the case, maybe they could understand each other and stop fighting. This moment is ironic, because it highlights the fact that the violence between the Greasers and the Socs is senseless and unnecessary, but it is also ironic because it highlights Cherry's naïveté about the nature of the rivalry between the two gangs. While Cherry wants to show Ponyboy that both sides have it rough, she doesn't realize how difficult the lives of the Greasers really are, because of poverty and hardship. Socs undoubtedly have difficult lives as well, but the class differences create real tension
