Holden and Esther would probably get along well if they met. First, they both constantly need to criticize and point out everything wrong with the world. Holden could easily follow Esther’s criticisms of Buddy as a “hypocrite,” as it so similar to Holden’s signature insult, “phony.” Esther and Holden also might make each other feel less “crazy” by validating one another’s perspectives. For example, they both feel that there is something wrong with the way 1950s society treats women, even if they do not exactly have the vocabulary to describe it. Such views can be seen in Holden’s conversation about Jane Gallagher, and much more strongly throughout the entirety of The Bell Jar. They might disagree about other matters, however. Holden tends to be dismissive of any kind of formalized event: he lays into everything from the football game to the Christmas performance. While Esther often skips these events, it is not necessarily because she dislikes them, finds them “phony” or thinks th...