Dallas is powerless on his own in chapter 9. He is powerless physically, emotionally and in the face of authority. Because of the fire in the church, one of Dally's arms is hurt, so he can only fight with one hand -- one hand that is made exponentially stronger with a knife.
Dally needs to manipulate authority to get what he wants in chapter 9, and he can't do that on his own. He...
Dallas is powerless on his own in chapter 9. He is powerless physically, emotionally and in the face of authority. Because of the fire in the church, one of Dally's arms is hurt, so he can only fight with one hand -- one hand that is made exponentially stronger with a knife.
Dally needs to manipulate authority to get what he wants in chapter 9, and he can't do that on his own. He can't get discharged from the hospital on his own, so he "talked the nurse into it with Two-Bit's switch" (Hinton 144).
When Dallas and Ponyboy go back to the hospital to visit Johnny, Dallas' emotions get the better of him; he is both embarrassed to show them and doesn't know how to deal with what he's feeling. When told Johnny is near death, Dallas threatens him with the knife: "We gotta see him [...] We're gonna see him and if you give me any static you'll end up on your own operatin' table" (147).
Dallas' feelings of powerlessness are only made worse by Johnny's death; chapter 9 signifies the true end to Dally's innocence (if he had any left) and greatly foreshadows his downfall.
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