how does the max function in python work code example

Example: python max function

square = {2: 4, -3: 9, -1: 1, -2: 4}

# the largest key
key1 = max(square)
print("The largest key:", key1)    # 2

# the key whose value is the largest
key2 = max(square, key = lambda k: square[k])

print("The key with the largest value:", key2)    # -3

# getting the largest value
print("The largest value:", square[key2])    # 9