Soda is different from anybody; he understands everything, almost. Like he's never hollering at me all the time the way Darry is, or treating me as if I was six instead of fourteen. . . . He's always happy-go-lucky and grinning, while Darry's hard and firm and rarely grins at all. But then, Darry's gone through a lot in his twenty years, grown up too fast. Sodapop'll never grow up at all. I don't know which way's the best. I'll find out one of these days.
—The Outsiders,
S.E. Hinton
Based on this passage, what is the theme of the story?
It is good to seek help from older people, because they know best.
People often struggle to fit in; they question the right way to live their lives.
It is better to laugh often than to be serious all the time.