In "The Catcher in the Rye," what is signified when Holden misplaces the foils?

In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden loses the fencing foils
and keeps the team from competing.  The significance of Holden losing the foils is
two-fold.  First, Holden does not seem to want to move on from his life as it is.  He is
afraid of graduating, hence his repetitive removal from schools.  The foils represent
responsibility and Holden fears responsibility.  The loss of the foils shows that Holden
refuses to fully accept the responsibilities that are given to him.  Secondly, Holden
replaces the missing foils with a red hunting hat. Holden states that he bought the hat
immediately after he realized the foils were missing. This replacement of the foils with
the hat represents Holden's inability to accept his place in the world.  The hat
represents Holden's compulsiveness, not his responsibility.  Therefore, Holden's
replacement of the foils with the hat solidifies his inability to be
responsible.