I just started the book That Was Then, This is Now by S.E. Hinton.  I really like the book only about 50 pages in.  Something that I was kind of wondering about the book was the authors purpose.  A couple days ago I think I finally figured it out.  Its as the authors purpose being the importance of.  The book is about two friends being so close that its like their brothers.  They were even mistaken for brothers at one point in the book on page 33.  The two boys have always done things together and lived around each other.  And they swear to each other that it will always be like that.
The book is out of the eyes of one of the two friends.  Its told by Byron and his best friend is Mark.  The two of them are around 16.  Byron and Mark live in a dangerous neighborhood.  This book seems like it takes place a while ago because it often talks about how wouldn't even come into bad neighborhoods even if their was a crime going on.  Also cokes costed 35 cents.
So Byron and Mark find themselves having to litterly fight people constantly.  I think that is actually part of what brings the two boys together.  They always have each others back because they know they might tried to get jumped.  So while their friends and might just like the company or to hang out they also stay together a lot because in the neighborhood they live in its not exactly safe to be by yourself.    Byron and Mark are part of the reason they live in a bad neighborhood.  They might get jumped by people but they also often jump people together.  They also hustle people in billiards down at the bar.  And they smoke under aged.  On page 22-23 Mark steals 3 dollars from a kid (in the time period this book takes place in, that was a lot) and then the two saw a guy standing by himself and decided to jump him.   There actually not the safest kids to be with.  But the reason I always second guess that their bad kids is because of the things Byron thinks.  If this book came from the point of view of a narrator you would never think that their could be a good side to Byron and Mark.  I still don't know about Mark but there is definitely a possibility that Byron is actually a nice guy.  He always talks about how he feels bad sometimes if they beat someone up and steal from them.  He also wishes that Mark his best friend wouldn't steal so much or wouldn't want to fight so much.  And while its early in the book I can see that part of Byron showing and showing more instead of just being inside him.  And when the time comes that Byron does show that side of him, it will take an effect on their friendship.