However, their idea of what is "tough" is put to the test when they squeal tires in their parents station wagons. When the three teenagers arrive at Greasy Lake in the station wagon, they are met with "the taillights of a single car," '57 Chevy, mint, metallic blue " and "a chopper leaned against its kickstand." It is in these lines the stages of moral decline are defined. .
The road to becoming a "greasy" character starts off innocent enough during the transition into young adulthood. Squealing a few tires, drinking a few beers, listening to the latest music, and sexually experimenting with peers; sounds like an average college experience. But what happens when the experience becomes the lifestyle? Stage two, "the very bad character,"" depicted as a man unable to be reasoned with, a kick ass and take names later kind of guy and the owner of the '57 Chevy hot-rod. Described as wearing steel toe boots and greasy jeans, readers are led to believe this is a working man with an attitude, and he drives a hot-rod car to further enhance his bad guy image. .
Typically, by this age residency has been secured and is the proper place for the actions this man was performing with his "fox" inside his '57 Chevy. The incident portrayed here symbolizes that both sexes are vulnerable to moral corruption. Furthermore, the fight scene between the three boys and the "bad greasy character,"" shows how quickly moral digression can occur. As the fight escalates the narrator interjects his adult opinion of the moment just before the big blow, "What happened next?", the detective asks the murderer from beneath the turned down brim of his pork pie hat. I don't know, the murderer says, something came over me. Exactly!" Almost as if he can still feel the adrenaline rush and the blurring speed in which this encounter transpired, hear the silence that fell on Greasy Lake when he struck the guy with the tire iron, and the relief that he had not killed a man.