People often use isolation as a form of self defense because they fear the consequences of opening up to others. Holden is a teenager who has suffered a lot of trauma in his life, resulting in him feeling afraid of opening up to people so he detaches himself from everyone . Holden sees a family with a little boy who is humming and whistling contently and he says it “made [him] feel not so depressed anymore” (62). Just seeing this happy boy walking down the street makes holden feel better. Holden had made himself so detached that he is able to feel connection just by watching other people be happy. One reason that holden is afraid of connection is because he is “confused and frightened and even sickened by human behavior” (102). Holden finds
