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This is a sociological study of delinquent youths and the gangs they form in the big American cities. The gang is seen as a working-class subculture, brought into being by the dominant middle-class culture and its pressures.
A general theory of subcultures is developed which seeks to integrate the study of the delinquent individual and his personality with enquiries into the origin and structure of the delinquent gang as a byproduct of American society.
Dr. Cohen contends that middle-class and working-class children in the United States grow up in markedly different homes, whilst their schooling is similar, if not identical. While the schools, on the whole, tend to reinforce the influence and standards existing in middle-class homes, they are often in conflict with those found in homes of the working-class. Many young delinquents are boys of unstable make-up with a working-class back-ground, and it is largely from them that recruits are drawn to the gangs in the big cities. The delinquent behaviour of gang members can be seen as an attempt by disaffected youths to achieve status and acceptance by their peers, as well as expressing their protest against authority.
The author concludes by stressing the importance of extensive further research, as an essential step towards the solution of a serious social problem.