Then I took my hunting hat out of my coat pocket and gave it to her. She likes those kind of crazy hats. She didn’t want to take it, but I made her. I’ll bet she slept with it on. She really likes those kind of hats.
– J. D. Salinger
The Catcher in the Rye. Chapter 23. Holden gives Phoebe his prized hunting hat, the symbol of his uniqueness and innocence and desire to be separate from everybody else. Having spent some time with the one person he really connects with, his sacrifice of the hat is a sign of his recognition that he does have ties and relationships are important to him.