One of the main things that adults should understand about teenagers from Catcher in the Rye is that teenagers are under a lot of stress. It sounds dumb like, "Oh boo hoo you have to do homework and go to soccer practice poor baby" but there's a lot more to it than that. Clearly this book does not address all the issues facing teens but it does talk about a few.
             First is being forced into a school/situation that you are not interested in but people keep telling you that it's important and you should care about it but you don't. For example Holden is not at all interested in attending Pency. People tell him that it is important for to do well, like his history teacher and parents but he doesn't see the importance in doing well at Pency. Maybe because it isn't important?
             This leads to another important thing to realize about teens or maybe people in general, not having anyone to relate to. This book shows how important it is to have a strong base of friends to keep you from losing it. It can be really comforting to just hang out with people, not really doing anything too deep but just going to a movie, eating pizza, going to concerts, watching videos, things like that. Even challenging work can be more engaging with a strong core of friends or companions to accomplish the work with. Without a strong base of friends people get really detached and depressed.
             This point is further emphasized by Holden trying to reach out to people. The numerous taxi-cab conversations, (who asks a taxicab driver about where the ducks go in the winter?) calling up Sally and Jane Gallagher, talking to that women on the train, the nuns etc. He is searching for someone to relate to and he can't find them. The only person he can really talk to honestly is Phoebe. He likes Phoebe because she is easy going and doesn't demand anything from him. One thing about Holden is that he can't stand phonies and Phoebe is...