Has anyone ever told you not to judge a book by it’s cover? Well it's true, appearances can be deceiving - just ask Max! In the novel “Freak the Mighty” author Rodman Philbrick demonstrates that the challenges that come with a bad reputation and overwhelming appearance can be overcome by one's positive traits: being loyal, capable, and gentle.

Loyalty is one of the qualities demonstrated by Max. An example of Max being loyal is when Tony D. was chasing Freak and Max, Max put Freak on his shoulders and ran to protect him. In this instance Max indicates that he thought of others before himself. “Now I'm running at a full gallop, weaving through the crowd, and I don't even need to look back, all I have to do is follow the way Freak is kicking