History Characters / Fallout4TheInstitute

* DoomedByCanon: [[spoiler: The Fallout TV show reveals that the Brotherhood of Steel survived the events of Fallout 4 and are still active in the Commonwealth as of 2296. Not only does this make the Institute ending non canon, but all but implies that they were wiped out in either the Brotherhood or Minutemen endings. While the Railroad ending isn't canon either, they at least have the potential to survive if the Minutemen were the canonical victors. The same can't be said for the Institute, which gets destroyed in every faction ending but their own.]]

* FreudianExcuse: Lets See: Kellogg grew up in an abusive household with an alcoholic, neglectful father, along with a mother who pressured the young boy into killing him. He was forced to run away from home at a young age. He had to learn to survive the inhospitable wasteland on his own. His Wife & Daughter were murdered by a rival gang. All of which made him wander across the remains of the United States until he reached the Commonwealth [[DespairEventHorizon in hopes of leaving behind his past]]. It really is no surprise that Kellogg ended up how he is now based on what he went through.

* WhatTheHellHero: She snaps at the Sole Survivor [[spoiler:if she's asked for help in reactivating Liberty Prime for the Brotherhood.]]

A former Institute scientist, who has turned himself into a Super Mutant and fled to the the Glowing Sea to hide from Kellogg.

* MoralityPet: Dr. Li is kind of a total bitch now, but she is impressed by her assistant, Dr. Rosalind Orman, and supports her dreams of becoming Director one day. [[spoiler:Ironically, should the Sole Survivor betray the Brotherhood for the Institute after persuading Li to defect to the Brotherhood, Rosalind will be directly responsible for killing her former mentor by instructing the Sole Survivor on how to destroy the Prydwen.]]

** He serves as one to certain antagonists from ''FalloutNewVegas'':

-->"Well, if it isn't my old friend the [[HumanPopsicle frozen tv dinner]]. Last time I saw you, you were cozying up to the peas and apple cobbler."

** FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Ultimately, the Sole Survivor (and by extension, the Player) can take this attitude towards Kellogg after learning about his past [[spoiler: in the Memory Den]]; either feeling legitimately sorry for him, or having even more hatred towards him [[spoiler: for killing their spouse]].

* MirrorCharacter:
** Kellogg lost his wife and child to Raiders and became a scourge on the Wasteland as a result, just like the Sole Survivor. However, Kellogg never bothers using it to positive ends and just lets his grief eat him up. Notably, he's fully aware of the similarity and believes this is why the Survivor is the most dangerous man/woman in the Wasteland.
** To Benny from ''New Vegas''. Like Benny, Kellogg wronging your player character at the start of the game serves as your personal motivation for the first part. Unlike Benny, who has plans to usurp the person/group he's working for despite living the sweet life, Kellogg doesn't seem to have any personal ambition of his own aside from possibly making easy money doing what he's best at. Both carry a signature pistol that they use to commit a brutal crime.
*** To Caesar from ''New Vegas'' as well. Like Caesar/Edward Sallow, [[spoiler:Kellogg hails from the New California Republic and ran away from his past.]] But whereas Caesar eventually stopped "running away" and made himself the head of a mighty Legion in the Southwest while burying his past in the process, Kellogg never really ''stopped'' running despite being aware that he could never fully escape the weight of it all.
*** He could also be argued as one to a House-aligned Courier. Both men are mercenaries from the Western U.S. in the service of a mysterious, Pre-War scientific power. Like Kellogg, the Courier may optionally be a {{Cyborg}} thanks to the Followers' implants or the Think Tank's machinations. The key difference here is alignment: House is cold and ruthless at times, but he has a grand plan for the betterment of mankind, and a good-karma Courier can soften his heavy-handedness at several points. The Institute ''doesn't'' have a master plan beyond the body-snatching, Synth-enslaving status quo, and Kellogg is ultimately just a violent stooge who does what he's told. It's telling that no matter how low the Courier sinks on the KarmaMeter, the game will never permit them to stoop to [[WouldNotHurtAChild kidnapping an innocent child]].
** [[invoked]] Finally, he bears some noticeable similarities with [[VideoGame/Fallout2 Frank Horrigan]] of the Enclave. Both of them are incredibly dangerous agents of the game's most villainous faction, have [[EvilSoundsDeep remarkably deep voices]], take a ''hell'' [[RasputinianDeath of a lot of effort]] [[ThatOneBoss to finally die]], and [[spoiler:[[WasOnceAMan were once baseline humans]] turned into {{Cyborg}}s by their respective factions]]. They also both [[AvertedTrope cannot be]] [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath talked out of their villainy]] -- [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall the series' habit of which they can even allude to]]. However, Horrigan was explicitly a despicable and monstrous {{Jerkass}} prone to KickTheDog even ''before'' the Enclave turned him into a literal monster, while Kellogg was actually [[spoiler:[[UsedToBeASweetKid a pretty decent person]] [[TraumaCongaLine before his entire life fell apart]]]]. Also, Horrigan was motivated by his [[FantasticRacism racism against "muties"]] and [[AxCrazy reveled in causing violence]], while Kellogg is more of a {{Consummate Professional}} that [[PunchClockVillain doesn't take any real pleasure from his work]]. Additionally, Horrigan was [[PsychoSupporter fanatically loyal to the Enclave]] since they made him a nigh-immortal {{Super Soldier}} (which he was also [[SmugSuper quite arrogant about]]), while Kellogg is both [[DespairEventHorizon heavily implied to be suicidal]] and ultimately annoyed/unhappy with the Institute's operations. Finally, Kellogg also shows [[WorthyOpponent a significant amount of respect]] for the Sole Survivor, and starts their fight to the death [[FaceDeathWithDignity with a fair amount of dignity]], while Horrigan [[EvilIsPetty pointlessly wiped out]] the Enclave's own ''oil rig'' (which was full of civilians at the time) in a last-bid attempt to [[TakingYouWithMe killing the Chosen One after he'd already been beaten]].

** To the Brotherhood of Steel. The Brotherhood views Synths as yet another example of science gone amok, and must be destroyed to prevent humanity from nearly going extinct yet again - meaning the Institute must be completely destroyed and all Synth production stopped forever. The Institute sees the Brotherhood as an existential threat to their safety and the continuation of their slave labor, and so must be destroyed to stop them from attacking their "utopia".

** They also all firmly believe that they are technologically superior to all other factions. While they ''are'' impressively advanced, their research isn't really geared towards weapons and combat - Notably, the base damage on their futuristic laser weapons is on par with or even lower than most crude pipe-based firearms and they are generally inferior to the pre-war AER-9, on top of them being [[OurWeaponsWillBeBoxyInTheFuture needlessly bulky]] and surprisingly heavy for an energy weapon constructed primarily from plastic (its base pistol form weighs 3.9 lbs; for comparison, the overbuilt 10mm pistol and the .44 pistol [based on the S&W Model 27] respectively weigh 3.5 and 4.2 lbs, while a Beretta 92FS weighs 34.2 oz unloaded).

* KillAndReplace: Or "kidnap and replace", rather, though the end result is the same. The Institute has been using Gen 3 Synths to do this to citizens across the Commonwealth - not just major political figures, but also ordinary Wastelanders. When in the Institute, you never actually find the kidnapped Wastelanders, however, making it likely a true trope. [[spoiler:Or, with their ongoing FEV experimentation requiring a steady supply of new test subjects to turn into Super Mutants, it may be a case of "mutate and replace".]]

* LesCollaborateurs: The Institute has numerous paid informants on the surface aiding in their conspiracy - most notably, [[spoiler:all of the leaders of Bunker Hill's merchant caravans]].

** As the game goes on, the parallels between them and the Enclave become almost glaringly obvious. Both are highly advanced technological factions directly descended from Pre-War organizations, display a high-minded contempt for Wastelanders, and see only themselves as the ''true'' inheritors of civilization. Both factions also contain [[PunchClockVillain many friendly rank-and-file members]] with AffablyEvil leaders whose worst crimes are being part of the particular game's {{Big Bad}} faction. Most distressingly, if X6-88's comments are anything to go by, the Institute shares the Enclave's view that humanity can only survive once they take over and the people of the Wasteland die out. However, the Enclave is a fascist military dictatorship descended from the military and corrupt government officials of the Pre-War USA, while the Institute is a technocratic confederacy descended from the civilian and intellectual organization of Pre-War C.I.T.. Furthermore, the Enclave viewed Wastelanders with such fanatical hatred that they tried to implement a FinalSolution against anyone not Vault-born ''multiple times'', while even at their worst the Institute shows the surface more of an apathetic pity than anything else (with them [[PragmaticVillainy actually being pretty willing to accept]] the smartest of Wastelanders into their ranks), and are more ObliviouslyEvil in viewing surface civilization as a lost cause that should be left alone to self-destruct (along with seeing Synths as simple tools). Furthermore, the Institute uses ruthless pragmatism and behind-the-scenes manipulation to accomplish their goals due to their lack of resources, all of which makes the Enclave's brute force approach look laughably trite. And finally, the Enclave also fervently idealizes Pre-War America and has a fanatical case of PatrioticFervor for the long-dead nation, while the Institute views Pre-War America with undisguised contempt - rightfully blaming them for nearly causing the extinction of mankind - and are even trying to [[LetThePastBurn deliberately bury evidence of the Pre-War world]] to keep the surface dwellers weak & divided along with paving the way for ''their'' "enlightened utopia."
** They're also one to Mr. House's New Vegas. Much like House, the Institute has established an advanced, highly secretive scientific near-utopia in the Wasteland, and want to make the world a better place by their advancement of technology. Both factions are also rather stringent on allowing outsiders access (House has a certain flat fee he charges for people to visit the Strip, and the Institute is obviously much harder to gain entrance to). Both House and the Institute also create unique and highly-advanced robots (Securitrons and Synths) that are unlike anything else seen in the series, and are almost never seen by their subjects, using human-ish intermediaries to interact with others (House "talks" to the Three Families through his Securitrons, and the Institute has a massive conspiracy of Gen 3 Synths that they use to control the Commonwealth and surrounding regions). Both also have rather un-nerving streaks of FantasticRacism towards non-humans[[note]]House's Secruitrons mention that non-Feral Ghouls and sane Super Mutants aren't allowed on the Strip unless a human agrees to supervise them like a owner caring for a dog, and the Institute treats Synths as less than human [[spoiler:along with having organized the pogroms in Diamond City that forced the city's Ghouls out into the wastes]][[/note]]. But they differ in that House is still a capitalist and industrialist first before his desire to be the Mojave's autocrat, first used his scientific genius to get commercial success, and is motivated by a desire to preserve what little exists of the Pre-War United States - unchanging, forever (after all, House designed the Three Families to specifically embody certain elements of the Pre-War Las Vegas that he liked). Meanwhile, the Institute is focused on scientific advancement for the sake of science itself, and despises the Old World, what with them wanting to use their Gen 3 Synths to culturally manipulate the Commonwealth so as to wipe out all traces of Pre-War America & other emergent Wasteland cultures in order to replace them with their own. Additionally, the Institute and House have had the ''opposite'' effects on their respective regions' social development: House's New Vegas has helped slowly unify the Mojave, as new towns are formed and older ones grow as tourists flock to the Strip to make their fortunes, while the Institute's conspiracy over the Commonwealth has prevented the region from unifying & keeps it weak and not a threat to the Institute's goals on the surface. It's also worth noting that House himself is a graduate of CIT.

* NotQuiteTheRightThing: This is the Institute's {{Fatal Flaw}} - They have ultimately positive goals, but they always seem to try to achieve them through the worst ways possible. Father will even (reluctantly) admit the Institute suffers from this if you befriend him. They want to help humanity but their efforts have, for the most part, only sowed division and distrust throughout the Wasteland. In part from consequence of this, Father believes that the surface is doomed and that humanity's best chance are the denizens of the Institute.

** They also proceeded to send Kellogg [[spoiler:to kidnap Shaun, who wound up shooting the Sole Survivor's spouse dead before killing all of the other Vault Dwellers. Nothing prevented them from using a less overt and violent method - taking samples from the unconscious Vault Dwellers, for instance, or just plain unfreezing them and asking politely to borrow some of their DNA.]]
** Isolating themselves but using Synths means that everyone knows about them but no one knows enough to want to defend them. They really have the absolute worst of both worlds.
** Even the University Point Massacre was the result of this. [[spoiler: A girl living there had found data relating to increasing reactor efficiency, something the Institute wanted desperately. The emissary they chose to convince the settlement to give them the data? Conrad Kellogg. He gave them three days to comply, and when they didn't, he brought an army of Synths to wipe out the whole town - [[AllForNothing losing the data in the process.]]]]

* HappinessRealizedTooLate: In his memories, Conrad Kellogg notes that he honestly didn't realize just how happy he was with his wife and child - up until the enemies he'd made over the course of his career murdered both of them. As a result, he's left with nothing but his job as a mercenary to live for, ultimately setting him on a path that ended in him becoming the Institute's personal enforcer and the murderer of the Sole Survivor's spouse.

** [[invoked]] Finally, he bears some noticeable similarities with [[VideoGame/Fallout2 Frank Horrigan]] of the Enclave. Both of them are incredibly dangerous agents of the game's most villainous faction, have [[EvilSoundsDeep remarkably deep voices]], take a ''hell'' [[RasputinianDeath of a lot of effort]] [[ThatOneBoss to finally die]], and [[spoiler:[[WasOnceAMan were once baseline humans]] turned into {{Cyborgs}} by their respective factions]]. They also both [[AvertedTrope cannot be]] [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath talked out of their villainy]] - [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall the series' habit of which they can even allude to]]. However, Horrigan was explicitly a despicable and monstrous {{Jerkass}} prone to KickTheDog even ''before'' the Enclave turned him into a literal monster, while Kellogg was actually [[spoiler:[[UsedToBeASweetKid a pretty decent person]] [[TraumaCongaLine before his entire life fell apart]]]]. Also, Horrigan was motivated by his [[FantasticRacism racism against "muties"]] and [[AxCrazy reveled in causing violence]], while Kellogg is more of a {{Consummate Professional}} that [[PunchClockVillain doesn't take any real pleasure from his work]]. Additionally, Horrigan was [[PsychoSupporter fanatically loyal to the Enclave]] since they made him a nigh-immortal {{Super Soldier}} (which he was also [[SmugSuper quite arrogant about]]), while Kellogg is both [[DespairEventHorizon heavily implied to be suicidal]] and ultimately annoyed/unhappy with the Institute's operations. Finally, Kellogg also shows [[WorthyOpponent a significant amount of respect]] for the Sole Survivor, and starts their fight to the death [[FaceDeathWithDignity with a fair amount of dignity]], while Horrigan [[EvilIsPetty pointlessly wiped out]] the Enclave's own ''oil rig'' (which was full of civilians at the time) in a last-bid attempt to [[TakingYouWithMe killing the Chosen One after he'd already been beaten]].

* OnlyInItForTheMoney: By his own admission. However, even his interest in money is debatable - see DespairEventHorizon above.

* SmokingIsCool: He smokes very often. In fact, the player gets Dogmeat to track him down via the scent of his unique cigars - "San Francisco Sunlights."

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: If the Sole Survivor points out that the rest of the Institute doesn't entirely agree with his methods, he smugly responds that they don't ''have'' to agree with him, as he's seized control of the [[BoringYetPractical Institute's food supply]]: Now, if they want to be able to eat, the Institute will ''have'' take his opinions into account now - whether they actually want to or not.

* ALighterShadeOfGray: She's dedicated to recovering synths and taking them back to the Institute. However, she tends to focus on synths captured by Raiders or other threats - namely, synths that actually ''want'' to return to the Institute. Additionally, she's a lot nicer than Justin is.

* AffablyEvil: When Kellogg meets you, he does not taunt you, nor is he disrespectful to you in any way. In fact, it's clear that he holds you in high regard, and though he won't give ground, nonetheless respects your mission. He also seems to be actually sympathetic to your pain and anger, telling you that he "understands what that kind of revenge feels like". [[spoiler:Then you dip into his memories and learn he knows ''exactly'' how you feel.]]

* TragicVillain: Kellogg isn't malicious or sadistic, but is simply a man who was shown no kindness by the world, and sees no reason to show any in return. [[spoiler:In the memory lounger, you discover that he was born in dire conditions, to an abusive father and a tough mother who seemed then to be struggling not to succumb to despair. Then when he grew up, his brief episode of happiness with his family gets wiped out by Raiders, and the combined grief seems to have wrung all the fight out of him.]] The fact that he chose to become a wandering mercenary rather than RapePillageAndBurn, might suggest that he's not cruel or malicious by nature; he's simply a man broken and numb by the sheer pain the world has put on him, and who chose to linger on until his personal tragedy resolved itself one way or another.

* MoralityPet: Dr. Li is kind of a total bitch now, but she is impressed by her assistant, Dr. Rosalind Orman, and supports her dreams of becoming Director one day.

* FaceHeelTurn: In ''Fallout 3'', Dr. Li was opposed to even Elder Lyons' more benevolent methods. By ''Fallout 4,'' she's one of the leaders of the Institute despite the fact that they're doing a lot of things which are far worse than anything Lyons and his version of the [=BoS=] ever did. She (poorly) tries to justify this by focusing on the Institute's ultimate goals rather than their methods.

* RewardedAsATraitorDeserves: Should the player [[spoiler:convince her to betray the Institute for the Brotherhood, they can betray the Brotherhood and blow up the Prwdewen with her in it.]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: She disappears from the game if you complete the main quest by siding with the Institute or the Railroad ([[spoiler:or potentially even the Minutemen]]) after initially recruiting her back into the Brotherhood. [[spoiler:In the case of siding with the Railroad (and potentially the Minutemen), this is because she dies following the destruction of the ''Prydwyn''.]]

** They're also one to the Commonwealth Minutemen. While the Institute regards them as an UnknownRival, the Minutemen and Institute's goals are diametrically opposed to one other. Piper also claims that the Minutemen have fought directly against the Institute's armies and have actually ''won''. Furthermore, it's later revealed that [[spoiler: one of the Minutemen's other ArchEnemy factions -- the local breed of Super Mutants -- are the direct result of the Institute's experimentation]].

* FreudianExcuse: Lets See: Kellogg grew up in an abusive household with an alcoholic, neglectful father. He was forced to run away at a young age. He was forced to learn to survive the inhospitable wasteland on his own. His Wife & Daughter were murdered by a rival gang. All of which made him wander across the remains of the United States until he reached the Commonwealth. It really is no surprise that Kellogg ended up how he is now based on what he went through.
** FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Ultimately, the Sole Survivor (and by extension, the Player) can take this attitude towards Kellogg after learning about his past [[spoiler: in the Memory Den]]; either feeling legitimately sorry for him, or having even more seething hatred towards him [[spoiler: for killing their spouse]].

** FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Ultimately, the Sole Survivor (and by extension, the Player Character) can take this attitude towards Kellogg after learning about his past [[spoiler: in the Memory Den]]; either feeling sorry for him or feeling even more seething hatred towards him [[spoiler: for killing their spouse]].

* ArmchairMilitary: The Institute's human staff and personnel [[spoiler:(aside from Kellogg and possibly the Sole Survivor; doubly so, if male)]] are comprised entirely of [[NonActionGuy civilians whose knowledge on warfare and combat in general are wholly academic in nature]]. However, it's not as much of a problem though when they can input said knowledge into Synths that are more than capable of using it, especially the SRB's Coursers.

** They also all firmly believe that they are technologically superior to all other factions. While they ''are'' impressively advanced, their research isn't really geared towards weapons and combat - Notably, the base damage on their futuristic laser weapons is on par with or even lower than most crude pipe-based firearms and they are generally inferior to the pre-war AER-9, on top of them being needlessly bulky and surprisingly heavy for an energy weapon constructed primarily from plastic (its base pistol form weighs ''only'' 3.9 lbs).

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Completing the Railroad ending shows that he killed himself after you blew up the Institute, calling you an UngratefulBastard for killing his family after he helped you save the synths.]]

** PlayedWith. While they're the most technologically advanced faction on the East Coast, and they've almost perfected Synth technology, they're far from the brightest bunch out there. For reference, the Master nearly perfected the FEV more than a century ago, Mr. House built up a deadly and intelligent robot army by himself (though he admittedly did this ''before'' the Great War), and the Think Tank blows pretty much every other group out of the water. Father even laments that all they've done is build up Synth technology and infiltrate the surface world. In-game, Institute laser guns are mass-producible at the cost of being weaker than pre-war laser guns. This isn't quite as impressive as the Gun Runners and the Van Graffs of the NCR can produce far superior energy weapons on an industrial scale, which mercenaries and special forces soldiers from the Republic use.

** For example, they destroyed the Commonwealth Provisional Government before it could create an NCR-like group, nipping a chance for the Commonwealth to unite peacefully in the bud and the Institute to help the region progress forward. [[spoiler:They actually ''didn't'' do this, but everyone believes they did because they're so untrustworthy. It turns out that the Institute had a hand in starting the [=CPG=], but infighting between the representatives quickly ended it, with the Institute taking the blame for its failure to launch.]]

A returning character from ''Fallout 3''. She's scientist hailing from Rivet City in the Capital Wasteland, who has joined the Institute outright as the head of the Advanced Systems division so as to continue her work.

* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: The goal of their Synth development is {{Transhumanism}}, which is why they are so proud of the Gen 3 Synths; they're artificial humanoids that are almost entirely indistinguishable from biological humans, and they've mastered BrainUploading to transfer the memories and personality of humans into a Synth body. Unfortunately, they don't realize their own achievement in this -- most of its personnel regard the Gen 3 Synths as machines that are just exceptionally good at passing as human, and any shows of individuality and free will are written off as "software glitches" that need fixing. Poking into their terminal entries shows that they ''are'' aware of Synth individuality to an extent, as they hand-pick Synths to be Coursers when they exhibit unusually high aptitude with certain skills, and Synths are able to ask for their duties to be changed and to be assigned to specific tasks, but they don't recognize what these behaviors actually mean. Overall, the Institute has achieved its objective and the Gen 3 Synths are [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming Growing Beyond Their Programming]], but they're either turning a blind eye to the truth or don't realize it.

* KickTheSonOfABitch: The Institute hates [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Raiders]] and [[SociopathicSoldier Gunners]] just as much as the rest of the Commonwealth does, and will crush them like kindling whenever they get in their way. Most notable is [=Z2-47=] tearing through a building full of the latter during "Hunter/Hunted."

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: She disappears from the game if you complete the main quest by siding with the Institute or the Railroad ([[spoiler:or potentially even the Minutemen]]) after initially recruiting her back into the Brotherhood.

* TechnicalPacifist: As a consequence of being a entire community of [[NonActionGuy Non-Action Guys,]] they detest violence, only resorting to it when considered necessary (and even then, they have to rely on mercenaries and synths). Unfortunately, their opinion of the Wasteland is so low they seem to think that it's ''always'' necessary.

* TechnicalPacifist: As a consequence of being a entire community of [[NonActionGuy Non-Action Guys,]] they detest violence, only resorting to it when considered necessary (and even then, they have to rely on mercenaries and synths). Unfortunately, their opinion of the Wasteland is so low they seem to think that it's ''always'' necessary.

-->-'''Conrad Kellogg'''