What is one of the most influential scenes in the novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton?

There are numerous influential scenes throughout the novel The Outsiders that are instrumental to the plot and overall message of the story. In my opinion, one of the most significant moments in the novel takes place in Chapter 9, after the Greasers have just defeated the Socs. Dally and Ponyboy race to the hospital to see Johnny whose condition has worsened since the last time Ponyboy saw him. When they arrive at the hospital, the doctor tells them that Johnny is dying. When they finally see Johnny, Dally tells him that they've defeated the Socs in the rumble and Johnny softly replies, "Useless...fighting's no good...." (Hinton 126). Dally then tells Johnny that he is proud of him for his heroics, and Johnny simply smiles. Johnny then looks at Pony before he dies and says, "Stay gold, Ponyboy. Stay gold..." (Hinton 126). Dally is shaken when Johnny dies, and he slams his back against the wall and yells, "Oh, damnit, Johnny, don't die, please don't die..." (Hinton 127). Then, Ponyboy watches Dally as he suddenly sprints out of the hospital.

Shortly after leaving the hospital, Dally robs a grocery store and is chased by the cops. When the cops surround Dally in a vacant lot, Dally pulls a gun and is shot dead by the police. The scene in the hospital when Johnny dies is influential because it is the moment when Dally finally loses his mind. Ponyboy realizes how much Johnny meant to Dally after witnessing Dally's reaction to Johnny's death. Also, Johnny's final words to Ponyboy have significant meaning. Johnny quotes the Robert Frost poem Ponyboy recited while they were hiding out in the abandoned church. Johnny essentially reminded Ponyboy to stay innocent and youthful when he told him to "Stay gold." Johnny's death leads to Dally's demise, and Ponyboy becomes traumatized following the death of his two friends. In order for Ponyboy to mature and gain a full perspective of the world around him, he had to witness Johnny and Dally's deaths, which eventually helped him write the novel at the end of the story.