Catcher in the Rye centers around Holden's views of the world. He sees everyone as being 'phony' and as a result uses this as an excuse to exclude himself from the world and those who would have reached out to him to offer him a better quality of life. In essence, in their phoniness, they are being genuine because at the time they believe that they are being themselves. Later, of course, as they mature, a new awareness of who they are emerges with additional experiences and information. Moment by moment everyone can be genuine, and only change is the constant. Given this, then, no one is completely phony while they are maturing.
