Running away was regarded as a sign of deviance, a symptom of delinquency, and a reaction against unquestioned social norms in 17th, 18th, and 19th century America. Young runaways were swiftly reintegrated into their families and society or were isolated and reformed through institutionalization. During the 1960's young people and their allies began to reverse this process of labeling and coercion. In the context of a supportive counterculture and in the shelter of runaway houses, young people began to view their marginal status as a badge of revolutionary honor and their extrusion as criticism of their families and society. Running away in the 1970's is neither heroic nor deviant. The 1960's experience and the continued high incidence of running away helped runaway house workers to recognize the voluntary or forced separation of the young from their families as a reflection of widespread social disorganization and familial fragmentation, as a potential catalyst for family change, and as an opportunity to reverse the passivity and victimization of youth. Runaway houses offer a new and vigorous model for working with young people.