“Phoniness,” which is probably the most famous phrase from The Catcher in the Rye, is one of Holden’s favorite
concepts
Describes the superficiality, hypocrisy, pretension, and shallowness that he encounters in the world around him
However, the world is not as simple as he’d like—and needs—it to be; even he cannot adhere to the same blackand-white standards with which he judges other people