THIS WAS A PARTICIPANT-OBSERVATION STUDY. BETWEEN 300,000 AND 500,000 TEENAGERS RUN AWAY EACH YEAR. THE RUNAWAYS OF THE SEVENTIES ARE DIFFERENT FROM THE RUNAWAYS OF THE SIXTIES, MANY OF WHOM WERE REACTING TO THE VIETNAM WAR. MOST OF THE PRESENT DAY RUNAWAYS LEAVE HOME TO ESCAPE UNBEARABLE CONDITIONS, SUCH AS PARENT-CHILD CONFLICTS. ALCOHOLIC PARENTS, DIVORCE, AND CHILD ABUSE FREQUENTLY RESULT IN PARENT-CHILD CONFLICT. IN BOSTON, 76 PERCENT OF THE TEENAGERS HAD LEFT HOME DUE TO PARENT-CHILD CONFLICT. PERSONAL PROBLEMS ACCOUNTED FOR 15 PERCENT OF THE RUNAWAYS IN BOSTON, AND DRUG PROBLEMS ACCOUNTED FOR 7 PERCENT. RUNAWAYS COME FROM ALL PARTS OF THE COUNTRY AND ARE OF ALL RACES. FEMALES CONSTITUTE 64 PERCENT OF THE RUNAWAYS NATIONWIDE. THE AVERAGE AGE OF THE RUNAWAY IS 14.9 YEARS OLD. IN BOSTON, 66 PERCENT OF THE RUNAWAYS WERE CATHOLIC, 19 PERCENT WERE PROTESTANT, AND 1 OR 2 PERCENT WERE JEWISH. ALSO IN BOSTON, 61 PERCENT OF THE RUNAWAYS WERE FROM BROKEN FAMILIES. OF THE INTACT FAMILIES, 29 PERCENT WERE CONSIDERED UNSTABLE. A DISTINCTION MUST BE MADE BETWEEN DELINQUENT YOUTH AND RUNAWAYS. IT IS TRUE THAT RUNAWAYS DO ENGAGE IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITY, BUT THEY USUALLY DO SO AS A RESULT OF PROBLEMS THEY ENCOUNTERED AS RUNAWAYS. MOST OF THEIR CRIME IS MINOR, WITH PROSTITUTION BEING THE MOST COMMON FORM OF OFFENSE. THIS STUDY HAD NO FORMAL METHODOLOGY, AND NO TABLES ARE PRESENTED. SEVERAL SCENES WITH POLICE OFFICERS, RUNAWAYS, PARENTS, AND RUNAWAY STAFF MEMBERS ARE RE-ENACTED FOR THE READER. (MLC)