Holden’s red hunting hat depicts his identity and his purposeful isolation from the rest of society; in a way, this hat is his version of protection from the consequences of the “corrupt adult world”. His hat, which he wears nearly throughout the entire novel, gives him a safe space that allows him to be able to define himself as an individual without society’s pressuring gaze on his seemingly every move. However, this goes hand in hand with the idea that it continues to push Holden further away from the rest of the world, only perpetuating his idealistic perspective on the preservation of childhood innocence. By giving Phoebe the one of the few items that he held close to him, Holden reveals how Phoebe is one of the few people that understands him as a person. Moreso, He is so overwhelmed by Phoebe’s small act of gratitude of lending him money, he says “I thought I was going to choke to death”. This hyperbole demonstrates the extent of Holden’s disconnection from society; to him; Phoebe’s small act of generosity causes Holden to be so overcome with emotion, he breaks down crying. In order to be pay her back in any form, he gives her his red hunting hat, which to him was his protection and alienation from society, demonstrating how he trusts Phoebe to such an extent that he is willing to be his true self around her. 

In this part, Holden incorrectly alludes to the lines of Robert Burns’ poem “Comin thro’ the Rye”.  The theme of the poem was the coming of age and loss of innocence. Accordingly, the lines were not ‘if a body catch a body’ but instead ‘if a body meet a body’ which refers to sex.  Holden’s purity prevents him from understanding this fact and causes him to find his own meaning for the phrase. Therefore, he makes himself the savior of these children trying to cross the ‘crazy cliff’ that could represent the corrupted world he is getting accustomed to. This scene implies that Holden wants to preserve their innocence and save them from the ugliness in the world. Although he sometimes seems to be mature for his age, he is indeed naive.
Specifics:
In Holden’s imagination, he indicates young children, who are known for their purity and morality for they barely know about the world. However, Holden is the oldest one of the batch who has had his own share of an adventure in the dangerous world and has knowledge of deception. The older a person gets, the more experience they have and the more exposed they are. He knows that he must save everyone before they start changing for the worse, or in other words, the transition from childhood to adulthood. He wants to help them and he wants that to be his goal in life.