After Johnny dies, Dally does something rash and unforgivable- but he doesn't die. Instead, he lives in pain, struggling to find something good in the world that's not his dead Johnnycake, struggling to avoid the Socs' anger. Because he didn't just hold up a shop... he raped Cherry. Hellfire would melt Dally's icy outside, and all that there would be left is his heart of gold.