I don't really think it matters who the thought is coming from. It still gives the impression that Monty has to disregard stuttering in order to like Julio. It suggests that it would be an acceptable position for another person to dislike Julio because he stutters. But the point of the book is that this is not an acceptable position to take (at least that's my perspective on the purpose of the book from the OPs description). Monty does not like Julio despite the fact that he stutters. Just as Monty does not like Julio despite the fact that he is gay, morbidly obese, Latino, undocumented, or what-have-you. These are not features that need to be disregarded. It's as illogical to me as saying, "Despite having brown eyes, Monty saw absolutely nothing wrong with Julio." It might be a hard line to take, but it more accurately reflects an ethnographic perspective. Monty's disregarding Julio's stuttering indicates that Monty is in the "in" group and Julio is not. There shouldn't be "in" groups in the first place. Contrast it with this, "Despite having just been punched in the face, Monty saw absolutely nothing wrong with Julio." Monty disregarded the fact that Julio punched him in the face which contributed to Monty's feelings about Julio. Stuttering is not something that needs to be overlooked / forgiven.