Patrick is a chubby pink starfish and Spongebob's best friend. He lives under a rock next to Squidward's house. Patrick does not have a job, and when he is not spending time with Spongebob and Sandy, he can usually be found either eating or sleeping. He is the least bright of the characters on the show, but he has his moments of greater cognitive ability. He finds pleasure in the simplest activities, not much unlike a toddler.
Patrick seems to mainly operate at the 1st stage of moral development. This can be due to his very limited cognitive ability. His actions generally reflect self-interest and avoidance of punishment or listening to authority.
In the episode Sailor Mouth, Patrick and Spongebob learn a new word, the "F-word", and because they think it is merely a good sentence enhancer, they use it in every sentence. After being yelled at by Mr. Krabs and being threatened with punishment, Patrick stops using his new word. He and Spongebob feel terrible that they were using a curse word that whole time. Later on, while playing a game, Spongebob gets angry and uses the word again. Patrick immediately leaves the house and tells Mr. Krabs what just happened. Instead of seeing this situation as an opportunity to please his friend and keep Spongebob's dirty mouth a secret, Patrick immediately tattles. This shows that he put protecting himself from punishment as his first priority -- he was worried that if he did not tell Mr. Krabs right away, he would somehow find out and they would both be punished.
