He was stroking my hair and I could hear the sobs racking him as he fought to keep back the tears."Oh, Pony, I thought we'd lost you __ like we did Mom and Dad __ That was his silent fear then-of losing another person he loved I remembered how close he and Dad had been, and I wondered how I could ever have thought him hard and unfeeling . I listened to his heart pounding through his T-shirt and knew everything was going to be okay now.I had taken the long way around, but I was finally home. To stay. From S. E. Hinton The Outsiders. Copyright 1967 by S. E. Hinton 1)) Which of the following themes is developed in the passage? Fear has the power to influence a person's behavior. It is best for people not to reveal their biggest fears. After the death of a loved one, it is hard to love again. Some problems cannot be resolved through an apology.

## Step 1<br />The first step in solving this problem is to understand the context of the passage. The passage is from S. E. Hinton's "The Outsiders". It describes a moment of emotional vulnerability and fear. The character Ponyboy is comforting another character, Johnny, who is afraid of losing another person he loves.<br /><br />## Step 2<br />Next, we need to analyze the themes presented in the passage. The themes are the underlying ideas or concepts that the author is trying to convey. In this case, the theme is the power of fear to influence a person's behavior.<br /><br />## Step 3<br />Finally, we need to match the theme we identified with the options provided. The theme "Fear has the power to influence a person's behavior" is the most fitting description of the passage. The other options do not accurately reflect the theme of the passage.