New York’s terrible when somebody laughs on the street very late at night. You can hear it for miles. It makes you feel so lonesome and depressed. I kept wishing I could go home and shoot the bull for a while with old Phoebe.
– J. D. Salinger
The Catcher in the Rye. Chapter 12. Holden is experiencing a sense of isolation and longs for human connection. He misses a time when he was not so depressed. His sister Phoebe is one of the non-phonies that helps him keep his fragile connection with the world.