There are two Holden's in this play. One is the character and the other is the narrator. His honesty is entirely internalized. He admits his faults and lies in narration, but can't do the same with other people. I personally like reading stories where the main character is telling the story. In this way, I have noticed some contradictions in Holden's personality. He criticizes everyone in society because they are being phonies when he lies all the time leading him to be a phony himself. Right from the beginning of the story he starts to "shoot the bull" with his history teacher, Mr. Spencer, who had flunked him. In chapter 3, his first line is "I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life." Even as he's leaving Pency Prep, he gives a fake name to the mother of one of his classmates. It seems to me, his criticism of the world first lies within himself. He has shut himself out from the world, which makes him an outcast. And by criticizing everything around him, it seems to be a way for Holden to justify how the world is a bad place and to grow up and leave adolescents behind is just something that no one should do.
Holden's journey takes him though a cross section of American society. From school, to bars, to the city, to his family, I think Salinger wants to portray how widespread phoniness has become. His relationship with his brother D.B. used to be something he respected until he moved out to Hollywood. Hollywood was a good place for Salinger to use because it's a place where we can understand the meaning of phonies. Holden refers to his brother as a prostitute who has given himself up for the money in Hollywood becoming a thing that he hates the most. It would make sense that Holden didn't like movies because it was something that required acting and being someone your not. Yet, he went to the movies pretty often which again shows me his hypocritical