and the first one who does is the smallest person he has ever seen. This flips Max's world upside down. He has hidden behind his exceptional size to keep others from getting too emotionally close to him. Now he has a new next-door neighbor who is fascinating and not intimidated by him in the least. Although Max is afraid of making a new friend, he is also very excited.

Chapter three of Philbrick's Freak the Mighty is when Max and Kevin are getting to know each other better after their first awkward meeting the day before. Kevin is playing with a toy he calls an ornithopter that looks like a plane with flapping wings. It's stuck in a tree, so Max goes over to retrieve it for him. The way characters speak gives the reader insight into their personalities, and in this case, both of the characters also learn about each other from the way each boy answers the other. For example, Max usually answers questions with one or two monosyllabic words, whereas Kevin's answers are highly intellectual and multisyllabic. This shows that Kevin has more background in reading and education than Max does. Where Kevin would call his toy an ornithopter, Max would call it a plane. Another way that Kevin and Max contrast by the way they speak is that Kevin calls Max names such as "earthling" and "it." Max, on the other hand, responds with "that's cool" or "over there" (13-14).

One way that Kevin and Max compare with the way they communicate is that they both also resort to showing the other what they mean when there is a misunderstanding. For instance, Kevin asks where Max lives and all Max can say is, "Over there." Kevin doesn't understand, so Max decides to pick him up and take him over to his house. He then takes Kevin down to the basement where his bedroom is, and Kevin falls in love with the set-up. Later on, when Kevin realizes that Max doesn't understand his big words, he shows Max how to use a dictionary and how to think about reading and writing differently. Fortunately, even though Max and Kevin would be unlikely to communicate because of the educational differences between them, both are able to show or teach the other what he means for complete understanding.

At the end of Chapter 3 in Freak the Mighty, Max picks Freak up, places him in the wagon, and pulls him to his house to show him his room (14):

I figure it's easier to show him than explain all about Gram and Gram and the room in the cellar, so I pick up the handle to the American Flyer wagon and I tow him over.

This moment occurs after Max helps Freak get his ornithopter unstuck from the tree. While this may seem like a small, insignificant moment in the novel, it’s important to note that this is the incident that their friendship really kindles. As Max is pulling Freak in the wagon, he notices that Freak is really happy (14):

It's real easy, he doesn't weigh much and I'm pretty sure I remember looking back and seeing him sitting up in the wagon happy as can be, like he's really enjoying the ride and not embarrassed to have me pulling him around.

This small act demonstrates that they have a mutual respect and trust for each other, which is the foundation to any friendship. Freak trusts Max enough that he feels comfortable in the wagon, and Max trusts Freak enough that he’s willing to show him his room in the down under, which is one of the only places he has ever felt safe.

There is only one character that truly “scares” Max: Max’s criminal father, Kenny “Killer” Kane. Therefore, Max is “not really” scared of Kevin. Kevin does look different than the other kids that Max knows, however. This is what makes Max think about being a bit “scared.” In Chapter 3, Max has retreated into the “down under” of the basement in order to escape Kevin’s current situation due to Max’s “fear.” Max has observed Kevin trying, in vain, to reach a toy up in a tree. Kevin tries, again and again, to jump and hit the toy with his crutch. While sitting in the basement and considering the situation, Max thinks about the “crippled little humanoid” who was trying to retrieve his toy. Max remembers how Kevin called himself “Robot Man” in daycare and wore “shiny braces strapped to his crooked legs.” Even at this point, when the boys were much younger, Max knows that Kevin was not someone to “mess with.” At this point in time, Max is brave enough to conquer his "fear." Why? Kevin needs help retrieving his toy. Max helps Kevin and this begins the friendship.

Kevin and Max develop a symbiotic relationship, but at the start, it seems unlikely that these two would develop a friendship due to their glaring differences. 

Max struggles in school and has a learning disability in reading. He describes himself as unintelligent. He lives in the basement of his grandparent's home (his mother's parents). His father is in prison and his mother is gone. He doesn't have a particularly close relationship with his grandparents, especially his grandfather, who he calls Grim. 

In contrast, Kevin is incredibly smart. The first time readers encounter him in the novel, he has created an ornithopter that has become stuck in a tree. This is the first instance of symbiosis--Kevin can't reach the ornithopter, and Max's size allows him to reach it easily. Max is befuddled by Kevin's enormous vocabulary. Kevin's relationship with his single mom is much different than his next door neighbor Max's relationship with his kin. It is clear that Gwen dotes on Kevin, and Kevin adores her. Kevin has Morquio syndrome, which causes him to have a twisted spine, short stature, and many health problems. While Max is physically healthy, Kevin is physically challenged. Together, they become Freak the Mighty, with Kevin relying on Max's physical strength, and Max relying on Kevin's brain.

The two were in daycare together when they were very young, and Max remembers Kevin. Kevin becomes Max's reading tutor. They become Freak the Mighty when Max lifts Kevin onto his shoulders to see a fireworks display, and then the pair tries to outmaneuver a trio of bullies chasing them. 

They go on to have many other adventures. Kevin is brave and daring but lacks the physical prowess to enact his bold feats befitting a chivalric knight. Max is introverted and prefers the safety of routine and his basement dwelling. He doesn't like conflict and would stay inside his turtle's shell if it weren't for the prodding of his only friend, Kevin. 

Max is insecure because of his father's past, and fears he will turn out like Kane the Killer. Kevin wants to defy his present circumstances and get a robot body so he will be free to do all the things he wants to do in life. 

Let's start with differences between Max and Kevin, because those are more obvious.  First there is the obvious difference in looks between Max and Kevin.  Max is huge.  I mean he is a really big kid for his age, and it makes him stand out.  That doesn't help with his already self-conscious mind.  Contrast that with Kevin who is small, and on top of that he looks sickly (because he is).  Despite his small size though, Kevin has self confidence to spare, while Max sorely lacks self confidence.  Part of that is because Max isn't that smart to begin with, but he makes it worse by not trying to hard.  Freak on the other hand is "freakishly" smart.  

Their attitudes on life are different as well.  Kevin has an innate seize the day attitude, which is likely because he knows that he doesn't have a long life ahead of him.  Max does not have that kind of positive outlook.  If it were left up to Max, he would never come out of his "down under."  Max flat out wants to distance himself from other people.  

Despite appearing to be vastly different characters, Max and Kevin are alike in a lot of ways.  Both characters are social outcasts.  Both characters are social outcasts for the same reason too.  They look "weird."  Max because he's huge and resembles his murdering father.  Kevin because he's so small and frail looking.  He's described as being 3 feet tall and has to walk around on crutches.  Even Max makes a snap judgment about Kevin.  His initial description of him is a "crippled-up yellow haired midget." 

Both Max and Kevin are broken characters as well.  Kevin is physically broken by the disease ravaging his body, and Max is psychologically broken, because he witnessed the murder of his own mother. . . by his father.  

I believe that you are referring to Max Kane and Kevin (Freak) from Philbrick's book "Freak the Mighty."  

One similarity between the two boys is that they are both judged by their outer appearance.  Max is a big kid.  Really big, but that's not the main physical characteristic.  Max looks just like his dad . . . the dad that murdered his mother.  Everywhere Max goes he feels people making that comparison.  Freak is also judged by his looks.  He's freakishly small.  Like 3 feet tall and has to walk around on crutches.  Despite people's best intentions, it would be almost impossible to not make a snap judgment about Freak based on that. Max even does it.  His initial description of him is a "crippled-up yellow haired midget." 

On a "deeper" level, both Max and Kevin are broken characters.  Kevin has serious health issues and eventually dies because of them.  Max is broken on an emotional/psychological level.  He witnessed his father kill his mother, and Max has retreated from everything since then.  He distances himself from family.  He has no real friends (except Freak).  He's dead on the inside for quite a bit in the novel.  

As for their differences.  That's a bit easier.  Freak is tiny; Max is huge. Freak is crazy smart.  Smart on the level of genius.  Max isn't that smart and knows it about himself.  He calls himself dumb and brainless on more than one occasion.  That's surface level stuff though.  The real difference between Kevin and Max though is their outlook on life.  Kevin may be dying, but he loves life.  He has an attitude of carpe diem (seize the day) about everything.  He's always making up some cool adventure for him and Max, and he does it whether or not Max is in the mood or not.  Without Freak, Max would almost never leave the underground he calls home.  Max wants to distance himself from everyone and everything, and if it was up to Max, he'd probably never go out.  

Because there is no way to know the exact answer, this is definitely an opinion question. Although my opinion may differ greatly from yours, I am happy to share some of my ideas. Freak the Mighty would be completely different if told from Kevin’s perspective as opposed to Max’s, but not in the way you might think.

Although there would be no change in plot, the reader would learn about things quite differently from Kevin’s perspective. First, the book would be a lot harder to read if written from Kevin’s point of view. Due to his higher intelligence, Kevin often uses big words. There is no doubt that his supreme vocabulary would make it into the book. Next, there would be certain elements to the plot that we would hear more about the planning than about the execution. For example, the reader would hear all about Kevin’s plans to find “the treasure” in the sewer and about Kevin’s plans to make the “acid” that goes in the squirt gun in order to save Max from Kane. One of the biggest changes would be the end of the book. Because Kevin dies, the reader could potentially learn a little bit about the process of death and what Kevin “sees” when he passes on. A final issue would be the importance of the book Max is intending to write. This book is how Kevin lives on. Max decides upon this venture only after Kevin dies; therefore, at best, this idea could only be implied if Kevin passed on before the book's creation.

In conclusion, I should mention that that basic plot points would still be the same. The two friends would still meet when they are young, but become friends in middle school. The two would still become the dual character of “Freak the Mighty.” Kenny Kane would still kidnap Max, and Kevin would still be Max’s rescuer. Further, Kevin would still die from his condition. The differences would be in how the story is told.

The city or town is not explicitly given in Philbrick's Freak the Mighty, but the eNotes "in-depth" link below says that the author indicates Portsmouth, New Hampshire as the backdrop. More specific locations for the setting include Max's basement room, Freak's house, their school, Iggy's house in the tenements, the early days of daycare, and the hospital. They also have quite an adventure at the city park and pond on the Fourth of July where Max and Freak conquer a "dragon" named Tony D. who pulls a blade on them. (They only run into the muddy pond to get away, but at least they didn't get cut!)

Max says about Kevin in the first line of the book, "I never had a brain until Freak came along and let me borrow his for a while" (1). This first statement not only piques the curiosity of the reader, but also shows that Max eventually understands that he is not a butthead, but that he can learn and flex his brain muscles like anyone else.

Max considers himself a butthead because he is placed in Learning Disabled (L.D.) classes. He's also grown to be larger than the average kid in his class and he feels like he trips over his feet too often. When Kevin comes along, Max feels stupid around him because he has a wide vocabulary that he uses on a casual basis. In an effort to help Max understand him, Kevin defines many of the words he uses each day. Eventually, Kevin teaches Max how to use a dictionary; then, he makes Max his own dictionary of favorite words and gives it to him at Christmas. Kevin also helps Max by giving him a reason to go to the more advanced classes and helping him through them as well. Kevin helps Max to realize that he can learn things even if it takes a little bit of work.

The other thing that Kevin does that helps Max not to feel like a butthead is he loves him unconditionally. They are true friends. Kevin demonstrates his loyalty to Max by not giving up searching for him when Killer Kane kidnaps him. It is Kevin who storms the castle and defeats the dragon (Max's dad) with a squirt gun filled with vinegar and curry powder. Anyone who is saved by a friend like that is sure to feel like a human being rather than a butthead.

The answer to this question can be found in chapter 12 of Freak the Mighty; however, reading the final parts of chapter 11 help to give Kevin's comment some context.

Kevin and Max are attempting to give back the purse. Kevin is pretending the entire thing is a quest like from the days of knights. The two boys end up at the apartment of Iggy and Loretta, and Iggy and Loretta eventually figure out that Max is Killer Kane's boy. Iggy wants nothing to do with them, so he quickly shoves them out of the door, but not before Loretta gets in a nasty comment about Kevin and his father. She tells Kevin that his dad was a magician due to how fast he disappeared after learning his son had a birth defect.

Chapter 12 begins with Max and Kevin getting away from Iggy and Loretta's place as fast as they can. Once they reach safety, Kevin confesses that Loretta was right about his dad. Kevin knows that his father left him and his mom because he wanted nothing to do with Kevin. It's a very sobering moment in the story, and Kevin follows it up by essentially saying that he is glad that his father is no longer in the picture:

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

The phrase that this question is asking about can be found at the beginning of chapter 12. The previous chapter has Loretta teasing Kevin about his father. She tells Kevin that his father must have been a magician because of how quickly he disappeared once he heard that Kevin had a birth defect. The comment clearly points out a major character flaw in Kevin's father.

The next chapter has Kevin admitting to Max that what Loretta said about his father was true. Kevin tells Max that his mother, Gwen, doesn't talk about Kevin's father. All she says is that she made her decision and her husband made his. Kevin then says what he thinks about the entire situation:

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Kevin's heart has hardened against his father, and it is probably for the best. If Kevin's father wants nothing to do with him, then Kevin wants nothing to do with his father. If his father can't love him despite the defects, then Kevin's father is better off gone.

Kevin's phrase makes it clear that he is glad to have such a trashy father out of his life. Fortunately, Kevin has an amazing mother in Gwen. She more than makes up for her deadbeat husband in both her love and care for Kevin's mental, physical, and emotional needs.

I believe that this question is asking about a sequence that happens in chapter 12. This is when readers first meet Mrs. Donelli, and we are told that she is the English teacher and new to the school. Max makes sure to mention her being new and uses it to explain why she doesn't know that asking Max to stand up in front of the class is pointless.

Mrs. Donelli is taking attendance, and she asks each student to say something about their summer. Max is definitely not willing to do that, and all of his classmates know it. Unfortunately, Max's classmates aren't supportive of his hesitancy to be the center of attention. His classmates take this situation as an opportunity to make fun of Max:

"Forget it, Mrs. Donelli, his brain is in his tail!"

"Ask him to count, he can paw the ground!"

"Maxi Pad! Maxi Pad! Ask him quick about his dad!"

"Killer Kane! Killer Kane! Had a kid who got no brain!"

It's clear that Max's peers have a very low opinion of him and zero respect for him, his situation, and his past. Max doesn't even try to defend himself, and that tells readers that Max's opinion of himself is so low that it isn't even worth trying to defend his own honor.

It is Kevin that comes to Max's defense. He directs the class's attention on himself and explains that sometimes he is Kevin and sometime he is greater than Kevin because of Max. Together they are "Freak the Mighty." The class loves it and starts chanting in support. Max embraces the situation and feels like he and Kevin can conquer anything together.

I’m standing right there with Freak high above me and it feels right, it makes me feel strong and smart.

When Max boosts Kevin atop his shoulders so he can get a better view of the fireworks display, he doesn't realize that he is creating a new persona. Kevin must have gotten the idea for the name from Blade, who addresses them as the "freak" and "that giant retard." Later, when Blade thinks he recognizes Max as the son of Killer Kane, Kevin declares their new "nine feet tall" creation as Freak the Mighty. The weight of Kevin's tiny body has little effect on Max, who can run at full speed when necessary with Kevin on board. As Freak the Mighty, the boys converse quite naturally--they are now in closer proximity to each other--but Kevin treats his new ride as a knight on horseback. He "grabs hold of my (Max's) hair to steady himself," and he "tugs on my hair" to relay "urgent" information. Kevin kicks with his left foot when he wants Max to turn left, "like he's digging into a horse," and he kicks with both feet when he wants to go straight. Kevin's "steering" actually helps Max to learn the difference between right and left, since he has always been "a little confused about rights and lefts." When Kevin declares, "Warp factor nine!", Max breaks into "a full gallop." Kevin does most of the talking--and thinking--when the boys confront Blade; Max is merely heard to "hiss... In a small voice." Max knows to trust Kevin's judgment, since "he must have a plan, a dude as smart as that." Riding two feet higher than the top of Max's head, Kevin also has a better view of the world, keeping an eye out for the dangers and "secret kingdoms" that may lie ahead.

For starters, we would know nothing of Max's family background.  From Max we learn of his childhood trauma:  the mysterious death of his mother and the equally mysterious--at least at first--imprisonment of his father.  In a practical sense, the language would be elevated because of his almost miraculous vocabulary talent.  We also are taken in by the simplicity of Max's personality, by his desire to learn, by his frustration with his own weaknesses.  We can relate to him.  It is much more difficult to relate to Kevin on such a level--Kevin, who is physically impaired yet mentally strong.  Lastly, if Kevin is the narrator, we would be left without an explanation of Max's destiny at the end of the book after Kevin's demise.