Jerry's praise for the boys' heroic acts and his complete ignorance about what a greaser is reveals the meaninglessness of the greaser identity to the world outside Tulsa. Jerry helps Ponyboy see that it is the boys' courageous acts that speak for them, not their hair, group affiliation, or social class. Notice that while Dally's actions were also heroic, he acted only to save the members of his gang, while Johnny and Ponyboy saved people they didn't even know.