Consequences of intolerance and racial bias is a recurring idea. Max's father Jared Devore was a bigot and truly believed that men and women of 'color' were second class citizens as best. While he was content to listen to their music or eat their food, he thought that they should be aware of their place at all times and that place was somewhere several levels beneath common house servant. As such, he had no tolerance for them behaving like white folk. They were not supposed to walk on the same streets as white people, use the same facilities, eat at the same tables, or enjoy the same levels of respect. Any black people who believed they were even approaching equal were considered to be uppity and in Jared's eyes required a lesson in humility and respect for their betters.