It seems to me that 3 social groups are positioned against each other: the establishmnet (symbolized by the roadside attendant), the hippies (symbolized by the nomadic gordes in Volkswagen vans), and bikers acting outside the law, symbolized by the protagonist, who could simply be a "Hell's ANGEL". Both hippies and bikers were feared by the establishment, but the bikers were more directly associated with crime. Springsteen's angel, too, deals with prostitutes, gambling (Baseball cards?) and maybe brutality — his aura is destructive, which could be the deeper meaning behind the "poison oozing from his engine". Nevertheless, the "biker" is an almost mythical figure in modern American history, exerting a great fascination, especially on young people. Maybe, Springsteen's biker takes some youth for a ride, they proudly crouch behind him and cling to his leather jacket — thus the image of "hunchbacked children". Although this angel is on a kind of heroic trip, he is bound for death. He may be cool and attractive, but he doesn't really add something to society. In the end, only his whore will cry for him — while the Volkswagen vans are on a safer trip into the future. The song is allegoric, it expresses admiration for the biker figure, without ignoring the other, darker side of the coin. I may be totally wrong, but this is what comes to my mind.
It seems to me that 3 social groups are positioned against each other: the establishmnet (symbolized by the roadside attendant), the hippies (symbolized by the nomadic gordes in Volkswagen vans), and bikers acting outside the law, symbolized by the protagonist, who could simply be a "Hell's ANGEL". Both hippies and bikers were feared by the establishment, but the bikers were more directly associated with crime. Springsteen's angel, too, deals with prostitutes, gambling (Baseball cards?) and maybe brutality — his aura is destructive, which could be the deeper meaning behind the "poison oozing from his engine". Nevertheless, the "biker" is an almost mythical figure in modern American history, exerting a great fascination, especially on young people. Maybe, Springsteen's biker takes some youth for a ride, they proudly crouch behind him and cling to his leather jacket — thus the image of "hunchbacked children". Although this angel is on a kind of heroic trip, he is bound for death. He may be cool and attractive, but he doesn't really add something to society. In the end, only his whore will cry for him — while the Volkswagen vans are on a safer trip into the future. The song is allegoric, it expresses admiration for the biker figure, without ignoring the other, darker side of the coin. I may be totally wrong, but this is what comes to my mind.