“Harold and Maude” is a direct example of developmental psychology and a lesson in living and dying. At this time Harold is a 20 year old unable to be a productive member of society due to his complete lack of interest and a self-reflective personality of faking suicidal tendencies. Maude is the explicit counterexample of this. A 79 year old who has had a less than enthusiastic past, but does not let it define her. It is found quickly that Harold has had an interesting childhood with a mother that is uninvolved. That is, she doesn’t quite care what Harold does, until it directly affects her. This is evident when Harold brings home a hearse as a car and parks it in the driveway. Immediately she becomes the authoritarian parent, harsh and strict,
