I've seen and taken part in debates that discuss whether or not the Midwestern and East Coast Brotherhood of Steel Chapters are anything beyond the Brotherhood of Steel in name only, given their deviations from the main organization's policies in recruitment, ranks, and goals. Long story short, it's come to my attention that I'm not really aware of what the original Brotherhood's goals were.

I'm not talking about what they were doing in Fallout 1 or 2, or what their policies were at the time. I'm referring to when the original Captain Maxson formed the Brotherhood, do we know what their original purpose was? Is their technology hoarding their goal itself, or is it the means to their goal? And if so, what are their ultimate aims?