These are the kind of mental circles one goes in when they don't appreciate the hard-earned simple wisdom of the saccharine and sentimental. I say that not to dismiss what's here but just to make clear that I have a fundamental disconnect with the struggle described, especially as someone whose religious interest has never been particularly theistic. I moved past the feeling that people are self-interested fakes with no real insight into the world young enough that I never really tried to build intellectual and spiritual supports around that feeling, yknow what I mean? If there was one thing being a young kid exposed to 4chan early actually did for me, it was shuffling me through that stage much earlier than I would have otherwise.

That said, I really love the alternate approach to that mindset we get. Rather than exploring what drives the emotions which create its immature form as in The Catcher in the Rye, Franny and Zooey tackles the grown-up, intellectual, well-reasoned form of the same thing. It goes "You know what, lots of people do suck and lots of what we do is empty and you're right to be frustrated by that. But not everything is like that, and you're doing a disservice to all the good that is out there and to Christ himself if you lump it all in together and shun all that is good yet imperfect." Growth often involves learning not to let our grand observations on the universe override the individuals around us, tough as it may be.

Salinger's dialogue is perfect. Of course it is.