The Outsiders deals with issues commonly faced by adolescents. What are some of these issues?

I think that two of the most evident issues seen in
Hinton's work lies in the domain of belonging to a group and how to deal with a reality
where unfairness is present.  Both topics seem to occupy a great deal of importance in
the perception frame of the adolescent, and Hinton hits on both in strong fashion.  The
Greasers and Socs strive for social dominance.  Yet, the former will always be seen as
second class, for they lack the material wealth and status of the first group.  This
causes them to look to one another for belonging and for identity because they are not
experiencing much of this from the social setting in general, and from their own
settings.  This is a strong adolescent theme because there is a belief in adolescence
that one's peer group has a better understanding of the individual than anyone else. 
One identifies with their peer group for this reason.  Another issue present is how
Hinton has her characters deal with the condition of what is and what should be.  When
writing the book, Hinton asked of previous literature about adolescent life, "Where is
the cruel social setting?"  She brought it out in her novel.  Her work is one where
there is class conflict, discrimination based on one's condition in life and a lack of
understanding about the nature of individuals.  Having her young characters seek to find
their way through this jungle is what makes her work so powerful to adolescent
literature, often striving to make right what is wrong or seeking to bring attention to
how what is might actually be wrong.