R. Maximilian Stubbs is a twelve-yearold snob, intolerant of those who do not conform to his notions of normalcy.

Bright and witty, Max smugly enjoys his intelligence and feels he deserves a life of ease and comfort. Like his mother, he looks down on his father's occupation and nomadic way of life. He tries to maintain a pretense of aloof independence when he meets his father at the airport; despite the heat, Max makes a point of wearing his navy school jacket, emblazoned with the school crest, and carrying his own luggage.

Max's first initial stands for "Rainbow."

He gained this name when, shortly after his birth, Woody—in accordance with an old Native American custom—walked blindfolded out of the hospital, took off the blindfold upon stepping outside, and named Max after the first thing he saw, a rainbow. He becomes...