Weyland-Yutani built, programmed, and assigned Samuels. However, whatever they had in mind for him, as they did with Ash for the Nostromo, it's clear that Samuels' motivation (as demonstrated by his final words) in investigating the Nostromo logs lay in helping Ripley, a near-complete stranger, find closure by learning what happened to her mother. It's not clear what pumps that white fluid through synths, but whatever it is, he's got a good one.
Amanda trying to save Samuels when accessing APOLLO goes wrong and he briefly slips up by calling her Amanda instead of Ripley in the heat of the moment.
Afterwards, a dying Samuels thanking Amanda for caring about him instead of treating him like another disposable tool.
Samuels: "You speak as if I've had an actual life... I...thank you for that."
In the recording of Marlow talking to Taylor, Marlow makes a rude crack about Ripley. Taylor tells him to leave Amanda alone and that she just wanted closure, indicating that while Weyland-Yutani may be the literal scum of the Earth, Taylor is not. She, at least, cares that Ripley gets her answers.
Despite Taylor's betrayal and reveal of her true intents, Amanda lets out a Big "NO!" when Taylor is killed in the Anesidora.
Amanda hearing her mother's final message to her. While it's sadly a Foregone Conclusion that that mother and daughter won't reunite, Amanda at least passed away knowing what her mother had been through and that she loved her.
Considering James Cameron originally had a scene where Amanda was still alive but accused her mother of abandoning her and the two end up estranged, one ray of light that Alien: Isolation gives us is closure for Amanda Ripley.
Marlow being partially motivated to kill the Aliens so to avenge his wife, who was patient zero.
While a poignant (and ironic) example, exploring the Anesidora reveals an audio log from Foster, who proudly reports on Marlow's genius leading to the upcoming savage haul, saying that her husband always said he'd do right by her. While the crew's greed kicked off the events of the game, it's clear that Marlow deeply loved his wife and was eager to get their struggling operation off the ground in order to take care of her.
The comic sequels revealing that Amanda fought against W-Y's cover-up of what happened on Sevastopol. She's not letting the voices of everyone who was victimized and died in the incident go silent.
