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Max Jägerman truly truly truly I feel is a kid that needed. NEEDED. to be believed in. And he was never taught how to present an authentic, unironic self, or how to be loved, because his father very much sounds like a man who wants his children to "respect" him and parents with fear as his main tool of gaining power. So he couldn't intimidate the adults in his life early on, because he was a kid, so he turned to his peers, because they could be controlled exactly the same way his dad controlled him-- fear. Teachers would write him off as a bully as a result. He probably gets his only really positive attention from his jock friends (who he has scared into being unchallenging yesmen who are unconditionally supporting) and any praise he gets from his quarterback role. I feel like he REALLY depended on being the star quarterback for emotional support (probably along with the partying-- if your peers find you fun, that's almost like being loved). Get the boy a good father figure please