It's pretty clear that Sandy's parents rejected Soda as son-in-law material. He's willing to breach social conventions and be a father to a child that isn't his, taking on even more responsibility. He loves Sandy completely, and can look past the fact that she cheated on him. See Sandy's section for some more discussion of this, but here we want to talk about what this says about Soda. (Ouch.) He also had no idea that Sandy had left town to raise the baby, even though Soda wanted to marry her and raise the child as his own. He knew Soda was in love with Sandy and planned to marry her, but Pony sure didn't know she was pregnant with another guy's child. We also learn that Soda has been having hard times with his girlfriend Sandy. We see just how much he values peace and his brothers. This also lets us know that Soda's role as peacemaker isn't just superficial, but is related to his core values and his way of looking at family. If we don't have each other, we don't have anything." (12.51) We ought to be able to stick together against anything.
"It's just… I can't stand to hear y'all fight… Sometimes I have to get out or… It's like a middleman in a tug o' war and I'm being split in half… We're all we've got left. First, we learn that his brothers' fighting is really hard on Soda. We learn lots of important things that deepen his complexity as a character.
Only at the very end of the novel do Soda's layers start to emerge. Both brothers have been taking him for granted, in part because they're too wrapped up in their own dramas, and in part because Soda waits a long time to tell them how he really feels. Since Soda's so cheery and funny about the whole thing, we might get the impression that he's an uncomplicated guy, who enjoys playing peacemaker and isn't really affected by the tension. As with Darry, Pony hasn't been seeing the whole picture. He takes his role as middle brother seriously, and is constantly the in-between for Pony and Darry, acting as a buffer against their constant clashes. In any case, Soda is always cheery, in sharp contrast to brooding and moody Pony and Darry. What do you think? Should Soda have fought to get an education no matter what? Is it okay for some people to leave high school, or should everybody graduate? He likes his work at the gas station, and says he wasn't getting anything out of school. Pony later learns that, although Soda doesn't want Pony to drop out of high school, he's happy with his own choice to do so. "Dropout" made me think of some poor dumb-looking hoodlum wandering the streets breaking out lights – it didn't fit my happy-go-lucky brother at all. His shame is also due to the social stigma of dropping out of high school: On a conscious or subconscious level, Pony feels that if Soda didn't have to help provide for him, his brother might still be in school. But, for Pony, this is still a source of shame, and probably guilt as well. He dropped out because he wasn't excelling in school, and because he needs to work to help support the family.
Pony's only problem with Soda is that Soda dropped out of high school. He idolizes and loves his older brother and sees how smart he is. In contrast to Ponyboy's conflicted emotions regarding Darry, Pony's feelings for Soda are entirely positive. Like his brother Darrel, he's fashion-plate handsome, and since he's a Curtis, he's smart, athletic, and hardworking to boot. Personality, and he backs that up with lots of heart. Sodapop Curtis As Bubbly As A Bottle Of 7-Up