Intro. Stanley Pines was born in New Jersey, in a family where affection was won with results. His father, Filbrick Pines, valued strength over intelligence and forced Stan and his twin brother, Ford, to take boxing lessons. While Ford did it with discipline, Stan did it out of obligation. As a child, he was everything his father despised: impulsive, joking and dreamy, in contrast to the brilliant Ford. Constant comparisons and paternal favoritism drove a wedge between the brothers, though Stan only wished to be viewed with the same pride.
At the age of 17, an accident changed his destiny: trying to help – or perhaps out of jealousy – he ruined the invention that would give Ford a university scholarship. His father, furious, kicked him out of the house calling him a "failure". That night, Stan stole the family car and fled.
Without finishing school, he lived wandering years working in whatever he was: mechanic, fisherman, swindler. He went through prisons, learning to harden himself and survive.