Compare/Contrast #2: Loneliness

In my last post I discussed the differences between the two protagonists in the two books.  Although Florentino and Holden are obviously very different people, they had similarities as well.  For example, even though Florentino was very driven and Holden lacked motivation, they both struggled throughout the book.  One of the things that both characters struggled with was loneliness:  loneliness was a theme in both books.
Near the beginning of Love in the Time of Cholera, Fermina was "taken away" from Florentino because her father didn't approve of their relationship.  Florentino become lonely without his love, eating roses and drinking cologne so he may know Fermina's sent.  "He felt alone in the world, and the memory of Fermina Daza, lying in ambush in recent days, dealt him a mortal blow" (p 145).  When Fermina married Dr. Urbino and left Florentino in the dust, he attempted to bury his loneliness by having 622 relationships.  Unfortunately these "liaisons" could not fill the hole in his heart:  "At the height of pleasure he had experienced a revelation that he could not believe, that he even refused to admit, which was that his illusory love for Fermina Daza could be replaced by an earthly passion" (chapter 4).
Holden is also a very lonely character.  Unlike Florentino, he doesn't lose a lover; Holden just doesn't have the ability to connect with people or make relationships. Kai, I think you nailed it in your Catcher in the Rye post about loneliness.  Your examples really illustrate how he really wanted attention.  You also made the connection between his loneliness and his depression; they are very closely linked. Holden felt very lonely at his school because "it's full of phonies" (p 131).  He spends a lot of time wandering, looking for someone to talk to or someone to start a relationship with.  Holden is never very successful and this made him very depressed: "When I finally got down off the radiator and went out to the hat-check room, I was crying and all.  I don't know why, but I was.  I guess it was because I was feeling so damn depressed and lonesome" (p 153).

Kai, what do you think about the authors' writing styles?  Was one more effective than the other?