By Giulianni Crespo
Fallout 4 is a single-player role-playing game set in the year 2287, in a post-apocalyptic version of Boston, Massachusetts, known as the Commonwealth. Players take on the role of the Sole Survivor, emerging from Vault 111 more than 200 years after a nuclear catastrophe, in search of their kidnapped son, Shaun. While the main objective is to uncover the mystery behind Shaun’s disappearance, the game offers a vast open world filled with side quests, settlements to build, and four major factions to engage with: the Brotherhood of Steel, the Railroad, the Minutemen, and the Institute.
The choices players make significantly impact the game world, influencing relationships, faction allegiances, and the overall outcome of the story. Through those four factions, Fallout 4 presents conflicting models of governance: authoritarianism, libertarian resistance, democracy, and technocracy; forcing players to use their own values in deciding what is right for the Commonwealth.
The Brotherhood of Steel
As the player follows a military frequency on their radio, they end up finding The Brotherhood of Steel residing in a Cambridge police station. The player is introduced to Paladin Danse, a hard-as-nails member of The Brotherhood who leads those at the station. His ideals are just a small representation of the whole group; they value human life, and reject the artificial beings known as synths. The Brotherhood’s ultimate goal is to cleanse the Commonwealth of those beings, as well as those who created them, The Institute.
When the player joins The Brotherhood, they must earn both respect and higher status to access to new Power Armor, as well as advanced weapons (see Images 1-3). One of these weapons is the Righteous Authority, a fitting name for the Brotherhood’s authoritarian, but also militaristic style of leadership. Authoritarian regimes, as defined by scholar Dr. Afyare, are “intolerant of social activity and independent behavior or thinking,” a trait the Brotherhood mirrors in its rejection of synths and strict control over who belongs in their ranks. Based on the first few quests from Danse and other members at the station, one of The Brotherhood’s main goals is preserving lost technology from the past. Having a focus on preservation reflects the Brotherhood’s need for power in a fractured world. It is as if they hoard technology to maintain strength over those in the Commonwealth, giving them the freedom to enforce their strict view of order. This becomes especially apparent when the player boards the Prydwen, their massive airship and mobile base, which hovers above the Commonwealth like a symbol of dominance.
Each quest earns the player more respect from the Brotherhood, and this increasing status acts as a reward in regard to gameplay. Missions from this point on become larger in scale and more aggressive in tone, reflecting the Brotherhood’s shift from a defensive outpost to an occupying force. The quest “Show No Mercy,” which involves clearing out entire populations of mutants, rarely asks the player to consider the bigger picture. Violence is used to maintain order, and moral questions are often ignored to get the job done.
The Brotherhood’s questline soon darkens when Paladin Danse is revealed to be a synth. Danse didn’t know this was true himself but was quickly turned on by his comrades. He was one of the group’s most respected soldiers, but all of his efforts were forgotten by the simple fact he wasn’t human. It is hypocrisy at its finest. Danse’s loyalty, bravery, and morality directly conflict with the Brotherhood’s black-and-white thinking; he is everything they admire, yet by their standards, he is also an abomination.
Eventually, the player must choose: to execute Danse to uphold Brotherhood ideals or let him live and defy everything the group stands for. This decision complicates the moral ground. Up to this point, the Brotherhood’s path offers clear rewards: powerful gear, a strong hierarchy, and straightforward objectives. But this moment demands introspection. Loyalty is no longer about rank; it’s about personal values. The more the player ascends, the more they’re asked to overlook. It becomes clear that their way of keeping the world “safe” is through force, control, and fear. Danse’s story is the best example of this—a loyal soldier thrown away because of what he is, not who he is.
The Railroad
As the player follows the Boston Freedom Trail, they search for clues to uncover the Railroad’s headquarters. This cryptic path reflects the group’s secretive nature (see Video 3). Upon reaching the Railroad’s headquarters, the player meets members who are less concerned with titles and more focused on purpose. Their leader, Desdemona, explains just how opposite the Railroad is from the Brotherhood. They are devoted to the liberation of Synths, making them a threat to the dominant powers of the Commonwealth. They believe that humanity is not defined by biology but by the free will to make a choice and act on it.
The mission “Tradecraft” tasks the player with recovering a piece of Institute technology, not to use it for power, but to better understand and dismantle the systems of oppression. This mission establishes the Railroad’s tactical approach: stealth, sabotage, and careful planning. The Railroad’s questline is less developed in its story, with more emphasis on its quiet approach. The player is encouraged to use silenced weapons, hacking, and infiltration; tools that support the faction’s emphasis on freedom through subtle resistance (see Images 4-6).
In a way, the Railroad is more of a reflection of a movement than a government. Their radical libertarian approach dismantles institutions they see as unjust and seeks to ensure the rights of sentient beings. This aligns with scholar Santiago Juan-Navarro’s comparison of radical libertarianism to anarchist philosophy: “Anarchists fight for the individual to be free of the booby-traps of life in society”(Juan-Navarro, 103). This view closely reflects the Railroad’s vision of freedom over institutional control. In the mission “Underground Undercover,” the player is asked to infiltrate the Institute, pretending to align with it while secretly recruiting synths to the Railroad’s cause. This mission asks the player to lie, manipulate, and endanger others in the name of freedom. Unlike the Brotherhood’s clear-cut “good vs. evil” framing, the Railroad constantly forces players to operate in shades of gray, where ends and means often blur.
This moral ambiguity intensifies when a rescued synth reveals the Brotherhood’s plan to destroy the Railroad. After the attack, the Railroad retaliates with “Rockets’ Red Glare”, a full-on assault on the Prydwen. These missions test the player’s ideals: is it worth using deception and destruction in the name of freedom? Unlike the Brotherhood’s clarity or the Minutemen’s community-driven model, the Railroad offers trust, responsibility, and ethical tension. Their missions challenge the player to question their values without all the awards. The path isn’t glamorous or straightforward. It’s quiet, messy, and deeply human.
The Minutemen
The Minutemen are the first faction the player truly connects with within Fallout 4, and their introduction sets them apart through a focus on mutual aid rather than dominance. In “When Freedom Calls,” the player helps defend a group of settlers trapped in Concord and, in return, is given access to Power Armor. Unlike the Brotherhood, who restrict such gear as a reward for loyalty and rank, the Minutemen offer it freely as a symbol of trust and necessity. This early exchange reflects the Minutemen’s democratic values: community, protection, and shared responsibility.
The Minutemen are defined by service; their leadership is earned through action and trust. After the player helps leader Preston Garvey and the settlers relocate to Sanctuary Hills, the quest “Sanctuary” guides them through building beds, water purifiers, and defenses: simple, communal tasks (see Video 4). These missions might seem mundane next to the epic scale of Brotherhood assaults or Railroad infiltrations, but they serve a different purpose. The Minutemen restore communities, one settlement at a time (see Images 7-9).
The Minutemen’s goal ties into the democratic belief of community involvement. Scholar Ryan Caruana explains that “democracy allows for representation and public participation”(Caruana, 1). In missions like “The First Step” and “Form Ranks,” the player is sent to recruit more settlements to the cause by offering protection and support. These interactions often follow a pattern: the player solves a local problem, and in return, the settlement agrees to join the Minutemen’s network. This mutual benefit through shared responsibility makes the Minutemen feel like a volunteer-based federation. They don’t dictate rules, they defend autonomy.
The turning point comes with “Taking Independence,” in which the player leads an assault on Fort Independence, reclaiming the Castle as the Minutemen’s symbolic and operational headquarters. This moment echoes the American Revolution both in name and spirit: an underdog movement seizing control to unify. From there, quests like “Old Guns” and “Defend the Castle” reinforce the Minutemen’s role as protectors. They wield artillery as a way of ensuring the safety of their settlements.
Even when facing threats like the Institute or the Brotherhood, the Minutemen’s approach remains consistent: defend what matters. In “The Nuclear Option,” the player leads a mission to destroy the Institute with a powerful explosion. Their goal isn’t driven by hatred but by the Institute’s endangerment to the Commonwealth. However, Preston Garvey makes a clear request to warn members of the Institute to evacuate before the detonation. It’s another clear sign of the Minutemen’s moral code: justice should never come at the cost of unnecessary suffering.
The Institute
The Institute is the most technologically advanced and secretive faction in Fallout 4, and perhaps the most philosophically challenging. Hidden beneath the Commonwealth, the Institute is driven by the belief that science and control are the only true paths forward (see Image 10). Where the Brotherhood clings to the past and the Minutemen empower the present, the Institute focuses solely on shaping the future, even if that future comes at a moral cost.
The player’s entry into the Institute is deeply personal: it’s revealed that the organization was behind the kidnapping of the protagonist’s son, who is now its leader. This leader, known as Father, asks the player to retrieve runaway synths in “The Battle of Bunker Hill.” Instead of helping the synths, the plan is to return them to their rightful place as property. This task challenges the player’s sense of identity and ethics. The Institute’s treatment of synths as tools rather than people stands in stark contrast to the Railroad’s belief in their autonomy.
In “Mankind Redefined,” the player is brought into the Directorate, the Institute’s inner circle, where scientists debate the philosophical future of the Commonwealth. It’s a sterile version of technocracy, devoid of emotion and grounded in logic. Caruana puts it, “Technocracy is based on logical inquiry and rational choice, whereby a technical expert is assigned to government and is tasked with implementing a policy based on objective scientific data” (Caruana, 2). This aligns with the Institute’s belief in governance by intellect and control. The Institute expects obedience because it believes its vision is inevitable. The player becomes Director not by rallying people or earning their trust but by inheritance and alignment with the Institute’s vision of superiority through science (see Video 5).
As the questline continues, the player becomes in direct conflict with other factions. This is a clear example of the Institute’s control in the missions “End of the Line” and “Airship Down,” where the player is instructed to assassinate the leaders of the Railroad and the Brotherhood. Rather than battling to survive, the Institute uses strategic moves to secure its absolute dominance. The cost is high: bridges are burned, allies are lost, and the Commonwealth is shaped by force rather than consensus.
And yet, the Institute offers comfort in its certainty. It claims to be above ideology, chaos, and fear. It sees humanity’s flaws as something that need correction. For some players, this might seem like the only logical path forward in a shattered world. But the game constantly challenges that logic, especially through synths that show emotion, loyalty, and dreams of freedom. The very beings the Institute created are the clearest proof that their philosophy is wrong.
Conclusion
In the end, Fallout 4 presents the player with four distinct paths: the Brotherhood of Steel’s pursuit of order, the Railroad’s fight for freedom, the Minutemen’s commitment to community, and the Institute’s vision of progress. These factions represent ideological crossroads that challenge players to consider the cost of their choices. Each choice reshapes the Commonwealth, revealing a truth in the player’s own belief.
Work Cited
Afyare, Abdifatah Ahmed Ali. Comparative Analysis of Democratic and Authoritarian Regimes. ORCID: 0009-0009-7411-5656, 2023.
Bethesda Game Studios. Fallout 4. Bethesda Softworks, 2015.
Caruana, Ryan. Technocracy: An Alternative to Democracy? –, 7 Oct. 2024, www.ghsl.org/lawjournal/technocracy-an-alternative-to-democracy/.
Juan-Navarro, Santiago. “The Anarchist City of America: Libertarian Urban Utopias in the New World.” Atenea, vol. 29, no. 1, June 2009, pp. 91–106.
