Holden strongly dislikes any form of lying. He often refers to people as phony when they lie. However, Holden is the most terrific liar he's ever known. He lies about who he is several times. Holden has several different characters to mask his true self behind. Holden lies to another students mom on the bus about having cancer and needing to go home for surgery (54-58). Even though Holden lies about almost everything, he despises other people who lie. This makes him somewhat hypocritical.
"I'm the most terrific liar you ever saw in your life. It's awful." (Chapter 3, Page 16)
"Once I get started, I can go on for hours if I feel like it. No kidding. Hours." (Chapter 8, Page 58)