Darry is, in short, a second father for his younger brothers. He loves them dearly, though has a bit of a weird way of showing it. Instead of being caring and understanding, he is stern and protective of them. However, this is only because he doesn't want to lose them to a boy's home. He doesn't goof around often, though has been seen teasing Soda on occasion. Ponyboy describes him as a young man who grew up too fast and as someone handling things no one his age should have to.