Throughout the book, Holden doesn't really have any close friends that aren't "phonies", so we see how Holden is alone and is trying to figure out his place in the world. It's especially tricky with Holden's age because he is on the verge of being an adult but is still a child. This makes it hard for Holden to find a place to fit in, as Holden said "[What if ] there aren't any hot-shots, then what's a game about…" When he talks about this, he really wants to know what life has in