Many might get butt hurt by me saying this, but the reason people (mostly man) might hate Max is because he is somewhat a representation of today's man/boys who ended up been raised by a single mother that took up role of being both mom and dad.
Without any actual MAN who know what it is to be one and the struggle that man needs to go through in life in order to become this great person that others might relay on, Max is simply lost and without real goal or purpose in his life and it shows at the intro where we learn that he started causing problems which even landed him with being expelled from school.
I think Max's character would have been way different and even would have had more chance to redeem him self if there was some male character that would guide him in his early life to not only be able to stand up for him self but also be able to to take back all the loved ones that the so called mega chad (Eric) is trying to take away from him.
And I think that is what Eric is, he is somewhat the representation of a "force" or the "struggle" that Max must learn not only to face but also to overcome, or he will simply loose all the loved ones he cared dearly for.
Even Erick sees that Max been raised for far to long on easy mode, without harsh reality that if he do not get his shit together he will lose in life big time and that is why Eric mentions the military school where he might get the guidance to the manhood he needs.
Now is all this intentional, maybe.
But the real question comes down to what really happened between the parents of Max, and how it all led to the current state of the affairs in their life's.
Its possible that in some way that the father intentionally involved Eric in all this in order not only to to test Max but also to get his ass to finally take responsibility for his own actions, but also to get back at Max's mom in some way (who really knows....... o wait the Dev's do know since they making this game).
Because lets be completely hones her, guys like Eric would not waist their precious time on getting with a single mom's who try to show they might have something to offer (but lets be honest they are just a waist of time unlike woman who are younger and still in their prime), and that is where the two sisters come to play.
Eric admits that the goal is not only to get with Max's mom, but also with his sister's who are not only fairly younger but also mostly pure and not yet corrupted unlike their somewhat old mom (who is doing everything possible to look good in every way possible, but in real life would have hit the wall like many woman do once they past age 25-30........ and shes with kid's, kid's that are not even his own).
That is why you see Eric trying to play this future man of the house figure by not only using his own status but also his wealth to sway all the woman to his side, than again there also might be that he is after the fortune that the father left for them.
But in the way of that is Max (for now), because if he is not going to steps up and start taking charge of things, he will not only be removed, but will also make it really easy for Eric to do what ever it is he wanted to do originally.
I think what might help swing Max back to true manhood would be a gym for raising his muscles and his lvl of testosterone which he obviously have little off, more self improvement books and videos on how to be a real man and so on.
We do know that in a way the Aunt is trying to help Max out but even she might become Eric's target if Max is not careful.
Sorry for all this writing I figure since I am as may people here a fan of game where Mc's are in need of self improvement in order to succeed in future, I would give my opinion on Max and generality of things.