I got to think about this faction and came to the conclusion that they aren't.

They're thugs/mercenaries that intimidate and even kill for gold.

They are always talked as being honorable but what honor are they even talking about?

I don't see honor in having a fist fight with an inn keeper over a situation that they don't know or care about.

What if the person that they are thugging around with is an innocent person and someone just wants to cause trouble for them?

How do they even get authorization from the Jarls to do things like this?

The Companions seem like an openly accepted borderline Dark Brotherhood.

They are honorable but they were poorly written in Skyrim. just like most of the factions in the game.

I agree , and don't forget their thing , which makes it even worse.

They certainly aren't like the Original Companions. Only noticeably honorable one is Kodlak.

No. But not Dark Brotherhood level.

True , there's nothing worse than the Dark Brotherhood.

Not the Thieves guild.

Agreed. never really saw them that way, but I guess I kind of thought about it, now that you mention it.

They sent me to beat up Danica Pure-Spring (is that her name?), the priest at the temple of Kynareth when I first joined. I was like, "Really? You guys want me to...beat up a priest? For money she owes you? What are we, the Thieves Guild?"

Then the thing. Oh yes, the thing. That seals the deal.

Oh i know, I wasn't saying the guilds in the game are bad, I loved the Thieves guild in skyrim. had lots of fun running with them, same with the brotherhood. i'm just saying the writers should have been more unique with the stories, because it was always the same.

As written, at times their honor revolves around how heavy someones coin purse is.

A relative has been kidnapped ?

Wild beast invaded a home ?

Treasured heirloom been pinched by goons ?

Cough up the gold, pal

Besides a more incompetent assassin.

But, no the Companions aren't all the honorable they are simply a band of mercenaries, meaning they have no honor they just do what is necessary to put food on the plate.

http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=14422

They definitely have their own code of honor that they live by but they themselves are not very honorable. The running theme with all four guilds seems to be that each faction kind of lost their way before you show up.

Only by their own code. They do what every guild does; whatever suits their guilds wants/needs. Sometimes individual wants/needs over the the guilds.

They're honorable but they aren't as fleshed out as the Fighters' Guild, both of which have honorable concepts with the Companions seeming to be more "honor-bound." There's also those sidequests where you beat people up for money, most likely for debt collection; and debt collection is very "dishonorable" in real life.

I believe the Companions should have been portrayed as better than a group of mercenaries that have a respectable adviser.

I kinda don't agree with that, being a regular mercenary band with no real terms of honor is better then one that is all for what they think is honor.

I'm not saying they should have been portrayed as the best people Skyrim has to offer. Just better than they were. No one is honorable there except Kodlak to me. So, they should have been better than common mercenaries, but not completely honor driven.