Novel: That Was Then, This Is Now

Overview
That Was Then, This Is Now follows two close teenage friends, Bryon and Mark, as their bond is tested by changing circumstances, moral choices, and the pull of the adult world. Told in Bryon's plainspoken, immediacy-driven voice, the story charts the slow fracture of a relationship rooted in loyalty and shared survival on the margins of a working-class American city. The novel examines how small compromises accumulate until a single decision forces a painful redefinition of identity and allegiance.
S. E. Hinton uses a spare, conversational style to make the teenagers' world vivid and urgent, capturing the rhythms of friendship, street life, and the ache of growing up. The narrative moves from easy camaraderie and petty schemes to a stark moral reckoning, showing how two young people starting from the same place can travel very different paths.

Plot Summary
Bryon and Mark are inseparable at the book's opening, almost like brothers. They do odd jobs, run small hustles and look after younger kids in their neighborhood. Their shorthand, loyalty and shared history create a sense of invulnerability; they move through trouble with an almost playful bravado. Over time, however, Bryon begins to notice differences between himself and Mark , shifts in attitude, priorities and appetite for risk.
As Bryon grows more reflective and starts to entertain the possibility of leaving their street life behind, Mark becomes increasingly drawn into dangerous behavior that isolates him from the community that once supported both boys. The tension between staying loyal and doing what seems right builds until a violent incident forces Bryon to make a choice with irreversible consequences. That choice severs the friendship and marks a harsh end to Bryon's childhood certainties.

Main Characters
Bryon serves as narrator and moral center, a character who moves from defensive toughness toward greater conscience and self-awareness. His internal conflict drives the narrative: he wants to protect Mark but also recognize the harm that comes from unexamined loyalty. Mark is charismatic, impulsive and fiercely attached to the life they share; his choices become the catalyst for the novel's central crisis. Secondary figures , friends, younger kids they watch out for, neighborhood adults , help illuminate the social pressures shaping the boys' options.
Through these characters, Hinton explores how personality, circumstance and small moral lapses accumulate, shaping destinies that can diverge dramatically even for those who start side by side.

Themes
Friendship and loyalty are at the heart of the novel, but they are shown to be fragile when tested by violence, drugs and the need to grow up. The book interrogates responsibility , both to oneself and to others , and the painful realization that protecting someone can sometimes mean stepping away. Social environment and economic constraint provide background pressure, revealing how limited choices and quick compromises can escalate into life-altering consequences.
Addiction, street violence and the loss of innocence are treated without sermonizing; instead, Hinton focuses on the human, often contradictory impulses that push teenagers toward or away from destructive behavior. The central moral ambiguity refuses easy answers, making the book linger in the mind.

Tone, Style and Legacy
Hinton's voice is direct and colloquial, grounded in teenage perspective and conversational rhythm. The prose is lean, scenes move briskly and dialogue carries emotional truth, which makes the novel accessible to young readers while offering depth for adults. The unsparing depiction of moral conflict and its fallout helped cement Hinton's reputation for honest young-adult fiction that neither patronizes nor simplifies adolescent experience.
That Was Then, This Is Now remains notable for its willingness to confront painful choices and the complexities of growing up. Its focus on the real costs of loyalty and the difficulty of moral growth keeps it relevant to readers who remember the tight bonds of youth and the moment when "then" becomes irrevocably "now."