Why do the greasers sneak into the drive-in?

In The Outsiders, the greasers sneak into the drive-in because it fits their usual pattern of petty rule-breaking, especially under Dally’s influence. On the way there, Dally shoplifts cigarettes at a drugstore, and then Ponyboy, Johnny, and Dally sneak into a drive-in that greasers often visit.

The scene presents sneaking in as part of the greasers’ everyday behavior rather than as a carefully planned crime. Dally is the boldest and most delinquent of the three, while Ponyboy is more uneasy about some of that behavior. Once inside, the boys sit behind Cherry and Marcia, two Soc girls, and Dally begins harassing them. Ponyboy’s discomfort with Dally’s behavior helps show that he belongs to the greasers but does not share all of their rougher habits.

The drive-in is also significant because it is one of the places where the divided world of Socs and greasers overlaps. It is usually associated with greasers, yet Soc girls are there too, which leads to Ponyboy’s first real conversation with Cherry. What begins as a bit of greaser rule-breaking becomes the scene where Ponyboy starts seeing Socs as individual people rather than just enemies.