Over 500 black and 500 white boys born in 1957 and attending Philadelphia schools were interviewed along with their mothers. The data were analyzed to discover how educational aspirations, social values, quality of life, fear of crime, victimization, family structure, father-son interaction, social attachments, and gang affiliation affected the development of delinquent behavior. Mothers and sons who limited or lowered their educational goals to high school included youths with much higher delinquency rates than those with higher aspirations. Social class, however, accounted for more differences in delinquency rates than educational aspirations. A high proportion of all subjects expressed fear of many places. For Blacks, family size and father-son interaction were more important in determining delinquency rates than for whites. Black youths with the lowest delinquency rates came from families reporting a high quality of neighborhood life. The data on education and the family are in greater accord with social control than with strain theories, although some subgroups have been identified for which strain may be the better explanation for high delinquency rates. (Author/GC)