History Fridge / TheStanleyParable

** [[spoiler:Or it's all in his head like the Narrator says in one ending.]]

** In fact, Mariella's mere existence in Stanley's world (the game), whether she is an NPC or a player/narrator-controlled character means that she is damned to the exact same fate as him ''whether she gets the job or not''. She is no more a real person than the mannequin posing as Stanley's wife. The only difference is that she's unaware of it.

** [[MindScrewdriver Presumably this "unseen force" is in fact the developer of the game]], who controls both Stanley and the Narrator and what they can do within the boundaries of the game. But [[MindScrew even the developer doesn't have absolute power over the game]], because they have to make concessions and program it within certain convenient limitations. As much as the game mocks Stanley from being a slave to fate, the game implies everyone is...

* The Narrator seems at first to have total control over the story. He opens doors, locks off doors, shepherds Stanley through areas and even maliciously punishes him for not doing as he's told. But when the Narrator himself tries to deviate to any degree from the rough script (such as when he teams up with Stanley to make a new story), he's unable to do so and reality begins to collapse. ''So what unseen force is holding all the narrative power here?'' Not only is the Narrator dependent on Stanley, he doesn't even have the power to change the game.

* If you continue to defy the Narrator in the HD remake, you'll come across two doors, red and blue, and the Narrator instructs Stanley to enter the red door. If you notice, next to the red door is a red hand truck--visual symbolism that by going in the red door, you're going back to being "carted around" by the narrator.
* One of the only consistent descriptions that the narrator gives Stanley is that his job is pushing buttons, and that is essentially the only thing that you can do as Stanley, you push buttons to go up or down lifts, you push buttons to open doors, you push buttons to give feedback, to turn off machines, and to save babies from fires. There is only one real instance in which you can make a choice which doesn't involve pushing a button, and that's when you ''pull'' the telephone plug out, at which point the narrator realises that you can't be Stanley and instead must be a real person.

* [[ArcNumber The number "8" is a number that is repeated often]], such as in the Demo and, in the ''Real Person'' ending, the presentation claims that doctors recommend making 8 choices a day. Why Eight? Because eight is the Infinity Symbol on its side, and it has no beginning or end. The theme that the game has no ending is very prominent in several of the endings (Such as the ''Museum'' ending when the second Narrator says the two will be in conflict forever because the game restarts) and on the loading screen the text "THE END IS NEVER THE END IS NEVER THE END etc." The game and Stanley's manipulation by the narrator is a never ending cycle, thus why the most important number is the one without beginning or end. 8.

* In the Freedom ending, the narrator mentions that Stanley doesn't want control, or knowledge. Just happiness. In the Countdown ending, the narrator mocks Stanley for wanting ''control'', then tells him where his coworkers went; AKA ''knowledge''.

** [[spoiler: Or it's all in his head like the Narrator says in one ending.]]

* If we accept the ''Real Person'' ending's premise that Stanley and the player are separate entities, [[YouBastard then Stanley spends several endings getting punished for the player's decisions.]]

* Mariella's reaction to encountering Stanley, dead of a mysterious brain dysfunction, is a fate-tempting self-satisfaction that she is normal and sane. Then much is made of her imminent job interview "with very important people whose decisions would impact her career, and, by extension, the rest of her life." It may be implied that Mariella is fated to be employed by Stanley's company, and has no idea that she is looking at her own likely future.

** Some places have automatic doors that open with a lanyard - it could have been that he was able to get in with his emplyee ID. Either that, or everyone else was spirited away ''after'' Stanley got in.

* If nobody besides Stanley showed up in the building, then who let him inside in the first place? It's highly doubtful that they would give keys to the entire building to a lowly office worker, or that they would just leave the building open for the night.

* If nobody besides Stanley showed up in the building, then who let him inside in the first place? It's highly doubtful that they would give keys to the entire building to a lowly office worker, or that they would just leave it open for the night.

* If nobody besides Stanley showed up in the building, then who let him inside in the first place?

* Mariella's reaction to encountering Stanley, dead of a mysterious brain dysfunction, is a fate-tempting self-satisfaction that she is normal and sane. Then much is made of her imminent job interview "with very important people whose decisions would impact her career, and, by extension, the rest of her life." It may be implied that Mariella is fated to be employed by Stanley's company, and has no idea that she is looking at her own likely future.

* If you continue to defy the Narrator in the HD remake, you'll come across two doors, red and blue, and the Narrator instructs Stanley to enter the red door. If you notice, next to the red door is a red hand truck- visual symbolism that by going in the red door, you're going back to being "carted around" by the narrator.

* From the HD Remix Demo: in the emotion booth room, there's only two booths you can enter, and most of the others are switched off. Behind the two open booths, in the back row, there's a single booth that's labelled and lit: Fear.

* [[ArcNumber The number "8" is a number that is repeated often]], such as in the Demo and, in the ''Real Person'' ending, the presentation claims that doctors recommend making 8 choices a day. Why Eight? Because eight is the Infinity Symbol on it's side, and it has no beginning or end. The theme that the game has no ending is very prominent in several of the endings (Such as the ''Museum'' ending when the second Narrator says the two will be in conflict forever because the game restarts) and on the loading screen the text "THE END IS NEVER THE END IS NEVER THE END etc." The game and Stanley's manipulation by the narrator is a never ending cycle, thus why the most important number is the one without beginning or end. 8.

* One of the only consistent descriptions that the narrator gives Stanley is that his job is pushing buttons, and that is essentially the only thing that you can do as Stanley, you push buttons to go up or down lifts, you push buttons to open doors, you push buttons to give feedback, to turn of machines, and to save babies from fires. There is only one real instance in which you can make a choice which doesn't involve pushing a button, and that's when you ''pull'' the telephone plug out, at which point the narrator realises that you can't be Stanley and instead must be a real person.

* One of the only consistent descriptions that the narrator gives Stanley is that his job is pushing buttons, and that is essentially the only thing that you can do as Stanley, you push buttons to go up or down lifts, you push buttons to open doors, you push buttons to give feedback, to turn of machines, and to save babies from fires. There is only one real instance in which you can make a choice which doesn't involve pushing a button, and that's when you ''pull'' the telephone plug out, at which point the narrator realises that you can't be Stanley and instead must be a real person.

* One of the only consistent descriptions that the narrator gives Stanley is that his job is pushing buttons, and that is essentially the only thing that you can do as Stanley, you push buttons to go go up or down lifts, you push buttons to open doors, you push buttons to give feedback, turn of machines, or save babies from fires. There is only one really instance in which you don't push a button, and that's when you ''pull'' the telephone plug out, at which point the narrator realises that you can't be Stanley, and instead must be a real person.

* If you continue to defy the Narrator in the HD remake, you'll come across two doors, red and blue, and the Narrator instructs Stanley to enter the red door. If you notice, next to the red door is a red hand truck- visual symbolism that by going in the red door, you're going back to being "carted around" by the narrator.