Shepard Family
The Shepard Family is a fictitious family in several of the novels of S.E. Hinton (see Continuity within S.E. Hinton Novels.) The family consists of a mother and stepfather (mentioned in That Was Then, This Is Now), sons Tim and Curly (mentioned in The Outsiders) and daughter Angela (first mentioned in That Was Then, This Is Now). The family is working class and lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They are notable as a dysfunctional family, and visitors to their house notice that the parents are always yelling, cursing and throwing stuff at each other and at their children, and that the children would join in as well. Despite this, the family protects its own and the older brothers are noticeably protective of their sister.
Family Members
Tim Shepard
Tim Shepard is likely the most notable character of the family because he is mentioned far more than his siblings throughout The Outsiders and That Was Then, This is Now. Tim is the leader of The Shepard Gang, one of the few gangs mentioned in The Outsiders. He is twenty-seven years old at the time of The Outsiders. Tim is described as lean and cat-like. Ponyboy also mentions that Tim has matted, brown hair and smoldering blue eyes. He has broken his nose about seventeen times, the third time being at the famous rumble near the end of The Outsiders and has a scar running from his temple to his chin from being slashed by a tramp (homeless man) with a broken pop bottle. He is noticeably absent from Rumble Fish, indicating that a significant amount of time has passed after the events of The Outsiders and That Was Then, This is Now.
Curly Shepard
Curly Shepard was fifteen in "The Outsiders".Curly Shepard is in the reformatory for an attempted robbery on a liquor store during the events of "The Outsiders" but appears a couple of times in "That Was Then, This is Now". His inability to control his impulses land him in trouble on occasion and he is described as a dumb hood by both the protagonists from "The Outsiders" and "That Was Then, This Is Now." However, he is said to be tough and "able to take anything."
Angela Shepard
Angela is a distinct protagonist never mentioned in "The Outsiders" but is the Ex-girlfriend of main character Bryon in "That Was Then, This Is Now". Described as Tiger-like, she is used to getting her way, and will go to great lengths to get it. Is very pretty, with long dark hair, that is cut near the end of "That Was Then, This Is Now", and sharp eyes. Is known for running around.She ends up getting married to her brother's friend only because she thought she was with his child. When she gets her hair cut off she has Tim beat up Bryon.