Ackley's unsocial behavior& Holden's tolerant and accepting attitude towards him

Ackley has unsociable manner towards his associates and community:

“He was probably the only guy in the room, besides me, that wasn’t down at game.”(p.19) 

While the rest of the school is at the football game, Ackley and Holden are both left out in the dorm. Holden contrasts the physical distance and difference between Ackley and the contemporaries emphasizing the sense of foreigner and also binding Ackley and himself as outcasts. In addition, implying Ackley’s unwillingness for reaching out his hands to peers; Holden hyperbolically characterizes Ackley’s introverted and apathetic mindset by mentioning “He hardly ever went anywhere”. This also give us some understanding as to why Holden reproachfully hyperbolizes Ackley for hating “everyone’s guts, damn near” so that projects Ackley’s unfriendly temperament. Declaiming that Ackley seems to be “terrifically bored or terrifically tired” when visiting Caulfield, Holden repeats the word “terrifically” in order to conceal Ackley’s lack of social relationships. Holden stating the word, “Ackley kid” drives Ackley mad disclosing Ackley’s eagerness to be superior to others which indicates inability and unpreparedness to communicate with peers. Caulfield further denounces Ackley as the “exactly the kind of a guy that wouldn’t get out of your light when you asked them to”, imaging the nasty and annoying nature of Ackley. This denotes the obvious reason why he is stunned from the society. Ultimately, all the above symptoms paint the picture of the severely anti-social teenager.

Despite Ackley’s anti-social behavior, Holden does not reject but tolerates him:

“I felt sort of sorry for him.”(p.24)

After condemning Ackley for not brushing teeth, Holden understands and apologizes to the irritating neighbor in his own words, “sorry”; he empathetically sympathizes Ackley. Furthermore, Holden reveals the immense extent of his endurance hyperbolizing the unwelcomed guest’s visit as “eighty-five times a day”. This also explains why Caulfield sarcastically hyperbolizes himself “reading the same sentence twenty times” since Ackley drops by. Holden feels annoyed twenty times and also resisted twenty times.  Isolating Holden himself from Ackley interrupting symbolically, he “pulls the old peak of his hunting hat around to the font, then pulled it way down over his eyes” which is not permanent but instant withdrawal, therefore, not thoroughly excludes Ackley. Depicting the depth of repulsion toward the fellow Holden cynically coloquializes, “I nearly got killed doing it”; however, he does not actually offend Ackley but does a favor of Ackley, getting scissors from the packed suitcase which portrays Holden’s benevolence toward the despicable boy. Consequently, all these pieces of evidence reflect Holden’s endurance and acceptance of Ackley.