I know that. That doesn't mean releasing your known flesh and blood to probably die is okay. It's okay to not be torn up about what happened - it's another to consider it an experiment.

He considered you nothing more than a labrat.

I sure do. I'm not judging him for his connection to his parents, but his idea of what a human life is worth. He may have been stolen. He may have been raised by evil people. But he's a man grown now. There's no innocence to hide behind here.

People being brainwashed don't know any better. He was raised isolated from the outside world. Many people in North Korea still believe in the lies the government tell them, and praise them and see their leaders as God-like figures. His ideology is being taught, so that's his foundation is already formed by the people who raised him. He NEVER left the surface until nearing the very end of the game. He has never been exposed to different ideology, so I don't see how you expect him to be any difference.

Yeah, which is the central conflict.

Does blood mean anything when your son is the opposite of your values?

It depends on who is the person doing it.

The diversity of answers is good writing.

The thing is that Shaun isn't a cultist.

He's the cult leader.

He's an advlt and has been for decades.

It's not brainwashing, so much as he grew up in an evil environment and made him evil.

I can and did make excuses for him but planned to side with the Railroad anyway.

It was the hardest thing my Sole Survivor ever did, lying to him on that rooftop that I still had his back.

Then the RR was destroyed by the Brotherhood.

Oops.

So, what

we should forgive hitler because he was raised by [censored]s?

I see him as a victim of the institute, but that only matters if you side against the Institute, I suppose. I see a lot of reasons to side with Shaun, but I could see why people are against him as well.

Actually, Hitler's parents were quite nice people by most accounts.

His family's men also chose to let their bloodline die out.

But I actually 100% agree.

The fact Shaun is a monster while the other Institute people are not also shows it's warped in other ways.

One of the options, when on the roof is to say something akin to,

"I spent a lot of time wondering what kind of man you'd grow up to be. I'm disappointed."

And it isn't just a disappointed tone. There's some anger in it too, with a scowl on your face.

Wish I'd have thought to have taken a screenshot.

You can actually say you hate the Institute and love Shaun.

I sided with the Institute in the end while hating Shaun.

My Sole Survivor pretended he forgave him.

Let him die happy.

Even if he was disgusted by him.

SO TRAGIC!

I tried breaking down his crib to find what materials were in it and I sold my wife's wedding ring and tried shooting her head off to see if it would work so Maby I just saw him as a science experiment too.

Maby he really is my son -sniffs on the verge of fake tears-

Well, being raised in isolation, and experimented on, they also have different expectations. It's different from the Institute people because I expect them to still being raised in a loving environment with parents.

I still keep my wife's wedding ring in my inventory. I will never sell or scrap it.

Equip it to your LI.

I keep it in my safe at home. I never give it to my romantic interest.

No one replaces Nora.

No one.

hah you love a dead NPC, you love a dead NPC, if you love her so much why don't you marry her, oh wait, you stole her wedding ring so you can't haha.

I think the scary idea is the Director DID raise Shaun in a loving environment--just one which encouraged him to think of Commonwealthers as scum.

Was Zimmer the director?

He was head of SRD and the current guy is his [censored] replacement while he's gone.

I'm hoping he's a cybernetics loving transhumanist with a soulless Skynet army ready to take over the Commonwealth in future DLC.

Well we know he loves transhumanism cause we met him in FO3.

I totes want some upgrades.

=( My wanderer doesn't have a love interest. No one can love a Sentinel of the BoS. The only person who would love me is Cait, and I have not a single clue where she is after I had her come with me.

if you think about it you might be safer in Detroit than in the common wealth and that is saying alot (could be the next place in Fallout 5)

All this confusion and speculation is because of a poorly thought out and written story line. The over all story I actually like a lot. One thing I'll say positive for Bethesda: they sure know how to motivate you on the main quest. After I saw that baby die I pretty much power games my whole way through non stop until I could get some closure.

(We just had our baby so the plot really hit close to home for me in a strange way.)