[Music] in Chapter 12 of The Catcher in the Rye Holden takes a cab wishing he could talk to his sister phoebe holden once again asks the driver about the ducks in the park and what happens to them in winter now the driver dodges that question but says that fish survived frozen in the ice Ernie's is packed with prep school and college jerks listening to Ernie play the piano hold it objects to Ernie style but the crowd is loving it now Ernie strikes holdin his outwardly humble but really snobby Holden sits alone until Lillian Simmons someone who used to date his brother recognizes him she introduces her date whom Holden pegs as a manly man holding claims that he is just about to leave despising the polite talk really enforces on him then to make his lie good Holden leaves lonely quiet alone and lonesome her words that crop up in this in the previous chapter quite a bit Holden feels stupid sitting alone at Ernie's he can't stand the thought of returning to the hotel all by himself the conversations of couples around him reinforced his feelings of isolation and he's alone in the midst of a crowd Holden actively seeks connections and he thinks of all the people he could call he moves from place to place to be among the people and attempts to converse but Holden is out of his element too young the person on his mind is Jane with whom he did connect but he longs to see his sister Phoebe too [Music]