Yk, Max breaks the 4th wall a lot in NPMD. The only other time in the Hatchetfield series I can remember this happening is at the end of TGWDLM. In the original, Emma screams for help and in the remount, while the other actors are bowing, she stays in character until she's carried off stage. I always saw this as Pokey letting her see the audience as one final 'fuck you' before taking her.
Seeing as the only other time [again, this is from memory, if there's another time the 4th wall is broken, feel free to lmk] the audience is acknowledged is when the Lords in Black is involved, I like to think Max has a touch of The Gift, which allows him to see the audience. He just doesn't really think much of it. Either that OR because of the stuff he says about his dad before Bury the Bully, I imagine he just kind of got bullied by his dad into not talking about it.
