Max does not know the contents of the letter drawing so much attention to him and his family, according to MaryLynne.
Quote B contradicts Quote A. It wasn't done to a child. He neither knows nor understands what's going on.
It was a mean thing to do to the family, but there are some nasty people in the world.
The boy is a teenager and by looking at the picture in the article, he looks like about being around 14 years old