* The "phoniness" of the student body: Holden sees his classmates as superficial and preoccupied with status and appearances. He finds their conversations empty and their values shallow. This sense of phoniness contributes to Holden's overall feeling of alienation and disgust with the school.
* The brutal hazing of Stradlater: Holden's roommate, Stradlater, is a football player who engages in a callous and cruel hazing of a younger student, a freshman named Ward Stradlater. This act exposes the undercurrent of violence and bullying that exists within the school culture.
* The indifference of the teachers: Holden criticizes the teachers for their lack of empathy and their tendency to dismiss students' concerns. He describes them as "phonies" and "unreal" and feels they are more interested in maintaining order than in truly helping their students.
* The competitive nature of the school: Pencey is a highly competitive environment where students are constantly vying for status and achievement. This competitive atmosphere fosters a sense of isolation and fuels the sense of alienation Holden feels among his peers.
* The isolation and loneliness of the students: Holden describes the students at Pencey as being isolated and lonely, despite being surrounded by others. He feels that they are all caught in a web of social pretenses and are afraid to be themselves.
It is important to note that Holden's perception of cruelty is deeply affected by his own emotional state. He is experiencing a period of profound sadness and alienation, and he sees cruelty everywhere he looks. The book offers a critique of the social and cultural norms of the time, exposing the emptiness and hypocrisy that Holden perceives in the upper-class world he inhabits.