Is Steve Randle a greaser?

Steve Randle is a greaser in The Outsiders. Steve is part of Ponyboy Curtis’s East Side group. He is Sodapop’s best friend, works with him at the gas station, and spends a lot of time at the Curtis home. When Ponyboy describes the boys in the gang early in the novel, Steve appears alongside Two-Bit, Dally, Johnny, and the Curtis brothers.

Steve also fights on the greasers’ side in the rumble against the Socs. As Ponyboy thinks about why each of his friends fights, he says, "Soda fought for fun, Steve for hatred, Darry for pride, and Two-Bit for conformity." This assessment places Steve firmly within the greaser gang and its conflict with the Socs.

Steve is a greaser, though Ponyboy does not feel especially close to him. Ponyboy thinks Steve treats him like a child and a tagalong, which shows that even inside the greaser group, the boys have individual relationships and tensions.