Holden’s former English teacher who warns him of a terrible fall is Mr. Antolini. He is one of the few adults in The Catcher in the Rye who treats Holden’s emotional crisis as a serious problem rather than simply a disciplinary issue.
Earlier, Mr. Antolini had shown courage by helping James Castle, a student who died after jumping from a window at Elkton Hills. This history helps explain why Holden remembers him with respect. When Holden visits him in New York, Antolini discusses Holden’s failing grades and warns that he may be heading toward “a terrible fall.”
Antolini urges Holden to apply himself and offers him a place to sleep. Holden later wakes to find Antolini touching his head, interprets the act as a sexual advance, and leaves. The other names are teachers or school figures from Holden’s world, but none gives this particular warning.