Hinton, at seventeen, set out to create realistic characters by writing about the juvenile gangs who clashed at her Tulsa high school. The characters had genuine lives (The entire section contains 263 words.) He also created an atmosphere that felt real by using local locations for most of his scenes (The entire section contains 1170 words.). Finally, Hinton made the story line interesting and compelling by giving each character a purpose (The entire section contains 257 words.). Overall, the characters in The Outsiders feel real because Hinton wrote about real people living in a real city. His characters have intentions, motivations, and feelings just like you or I would be in similar circumstances.