Character Relationship Map: The Devil and Max Devlin

Characters

• Max Devlin (played by Elliott Gould) — protagonist

  Max Devlin is a shady landlord and slumlord who dies while fleeing angry tenants and is sent to hell. He bargains with Barney Satin for a return to life by securing three innocent souls, targeting Ste...

• Barney Satin (played by Bill Cosby) — supporting

  Barney Satin is the souls manager and chief henchman in hell who offers Max Devlin a deal: obtain three innocent signatures in exchange for his own release. He gives Max limited magical powers, monito...

• Stella Summers (played by Julie Budd) — supporting

  Stella Summers is a high school dropout who hopes to become a singer. Max Devlin advances her ambition by obtaining a recording contract and presenting himself as her manager. Stella initially refuses...

• Toby Hart (played by Adam Rich) — supporting

  Toby Hart is a child who wants his widowed mother Penny to find happiness again. Max Devlin spends time with him while helping Penny run a day care facility, and Toby becomes emotionally attached to M...

• Nerve Nordlinger (played by David Knell) — supporting

  Nerve Nordlinger is a student who dreams of becoming popular. Max Devlin trains him as a motorbike racer after school, while Nerve focuses intensely on preparing for an important race. He eventually s...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Max Devlin → Nerve Nordlinger (Professional Racing Coach) — Max becomes Nerve's mentor while using the training relationship to pursue the contract.

  Max trains Nerve as a motorbike racer after school for an important race.

• Max Devlin → Stella Summers (Professional Manager And Client) — Their professional arrangement becomes part of Max's attempt to obtain her signature.

  Max lands Stella a recording contract and acts as her manager, while Stella initially suspects he wants more than his twenty-percent fee.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Barney Satin → Toby Hart (Conflict Indirect Adversary) — Barney's scheme threatens Toby through Max's assignment.

  Toby is one of the three innocent souls required by Barney's bargain with Max.

• Max Devlin → Toby Hart (Social Protective Companion) — Their companionship contributes to Max's growing care for his targets.

  Max spends time with Toby and helps operate a day care facility connected to Toby's family.

• Barney Satin → Nerve Nordlinger (Conflict Indirect Adversary) — Barney's contract places Nerve under an unseen supernatural threat.

  Nerve is one of the three innocent youngsters whose soul Barney requires Max to collect.

• Barney Satin → Stella Summers (Conflict Indirect Adversary) — Barney's bargain places Stella in supernatural danger even though he does not directly approach her.

  Stella is one of the three subjects whose soul Max must obtain for Barney's promised release.

• Max Devlin → Barney Satin (Conflict Bargaining Adversaries) — Max depends on Barney's bargain but ultimately opposes his deception and authority.

  Barney offers Max a release from Hell in exchange for three innocent souls, then threatens him when Max tries to destroy the contracts.

Story Analysis

A selfish landlord confronts a supernatural bargain and discovers redemption through protecting the innocent people he was meant to exploit.

Plot Progression

1. A Landlord Enters Hell — Max Devlin dies while escaping his angry tenants and enters a corporate-looking Hell. Barney offers him a conditional return to life in exchange for three innocent souls.
2. The Impossible Assignment — Returned to life without a reflection, Max receives limited magical help and begins approaching Stella, Nerve, and Toby. His efforts mix manipulation with increasingly genuine involvement.
3. Growing Human Attachments — Max develops professional and personal bonds with the three targets while struggling to obtain their signatures. Toby's condition pushes Max toward marriage and deeper emotional commitment.
4. The Price Of Success — Max obtains all three signatures, but the youngsters' personalities immediately worsen. Barney then reveals that they will die at midnight and that Max remains damned.
5. Sacrifice And Redemption — Max resists Barney, burns the contracts, and accepts the apparent loss of his own salvation. The restored youngsters and his returned reflection suggest that his self-sacrifice has redeemed him.