Interesting read. I always thought of Max as somewhat of a blank slate for the players to identity themselves with. Sure she has a few defined traits like anxiety and empathy towards others, but for the most part I feel the player gets to interpret what kind of person Max is/becomes, which explains her school file being so vague where she is seen as nosey in some classes and reserved in others.

That’s why it’s also hard to contradict shadow Max in the final episode. Because all of Max’s actions could be interpreted as selfish and done for social engineering purposes. We also see that Max(like Rachel) is a member of the much maligned Vortex Club if William never died. Hardy the actions of someone anxious or introverted by nature, one would think.

I don’t see anxiety by itself as a mental illness either really. Max is a shy young girl, on the cusp of being an adult, but does she have a disorder? I don’t personally see any concrete evidence aside from the learning program, which seems hardly concrete evidence, merely another ‘interpretation sink’ for the player to fill in the blanks as to why she’s in one.

PS: hope my counter points aren’t taken the wrong way. I appreciate your post, LiS and also enjoy discussing it.