Blade is the nickname for a boy from the high school named Tony D. He got the name "Blade" because he always carries around a knife and threatens kids whom he thinks are weak. That is why he picks on Max and Kevin. Max is a boy Tony must see as weak because he doesn't talk much. Kevin is physically weak due to a birth defect, so Tony sees him as easy prey, too. Even though Max carries Kevin around on his shoulders, Tony isn't intimidated by them because he has a knife and a bunch of friends to back him up. Tony is also seventeen and the boys are twelve. He clearly thinks he has an advantage over them. Max explains that Tony has been to juvenile court a few times and has heard rumors that he cut a guy with a razor once who almost died. Tony, or Blade, is therefore a bully of the very violent kind and shouldn't be engaged in any conversation or interaction. On the night that Tony sees Max and Kevin together, he says to them the following:
"Hey you! Mutt and Jeff! Frankenstein and Igor! Don't look around, I'm talkin' to you, boneheads. What is this, a freak show?" (29).
Since this is the first time and Max and Kevin are out in public together, and Kevin is riding on Max's shoulders, Tony must take notice of them because he's never seen a combination like that before. Tony is amused at the sight of them together and makes fun of them like a bully would. That is another reason why he sees the boys as prey; it's because he's never seen the two boys together before and he thinks they are funny and weak.
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