What are the benefits of having Ponyboy as the narrator in The Ousiders?

Ponyboy is the ideal narrator for The Outsiders so the benefits are many.
First of all, Ponyboy has a very mature outlook and sympathetic nature that is unusual for his age. Using his acute emotional intelligence, Ponyboy describes his friends, his brothers, and their enemies with precision; thanks to this level of detail, their personalities and conflicts are clear and understandable, and the reader may even feel like he knows the others as well as Ponyboy knows them.
As well, Ponyboy is also intelligent and young, so he brings a truthfulness to the descriptions in the novel that only an adolescent can offer. Ponyboy is also a responsible person, trusted by his friends and his brothers, so the reader can trust him too. His narration of the events that unfold is reliable thanks to his trustworthy nature. The reader can feel safe and stable while reading, as there is no need to question the narrator. This only enhances the reader's enjoyment and appreciation of all there is to learn from this novel.
Finally, Ponyboy is an excellent writer with the sensitivity and the powers of observation of a true artist. His gift for storytelling and writing is apparent by the end of the book when the reader discovers that the whole novel was born from a writing assignment for school.  The reader is able to enjoy Ponyboy's talent for writing as well, which is only one of the many benefits of Ponyboy's role as narrator.