Certain middle-class gangs do not seem substantially different from lower class gangs. Some researchers have suggested two possible explanations: (1) middle-class delinquency will result in response to adjustment problems related to middle-class socialization; and (2) violence will be underplayed in the middle-class subculture, while the deliberate courting of danger and more sophisticated deviant techniques will be emphasized. Other researchers argue that the mass media has encouraged teenage delinquency and that socially sanctioned means of maintaining their social position for some members of the middle-class make these young people organize subcultures that fit the definition of a delinquent gang. The theory based on the organization of a delinquent subculture is illustrated and applied through an ex post facto application to a middle-class gang in a suburban community where friendship lines are usually drawn on a religious basis. Characteristics of gang members are described, as well as the nature of their social and family problems. 16 footnotes