Father/Shaun claims the Institute attempted to help the settlers in Commonwealth form a government but failed.

Father: "Oh, we've tried that. Surprised? The Institute once tried to help create a stabilized Commonwealth government. It ended in bickering, infighting... it was a disaster. No, we look after our own now."

However Nick tells me a very different story;

"The Commonwealth Provisional Government. Years back a group of settlements tried to get together and form a coalition. Every settlement with even a hint of clout sent representatives to try and hash out an agreement. Only the Institute sent a representative of their own, a Synth. The man killed every rep at the talks. The Commonwealth Provisional Government was over before it even got off the ground. I took up in town not long after. I was damn lucky they didn't just tell me to scram right then and there."

If this is correct, Shaun either doesn't know himself or is feeding me a whole bunch of crap. I'm disappointed that you can't uncover or question the Institute on this and the kidnappings, synth replacements, etc.

Given their other experiments on humans, I think he's telling you what you want to hear so that you'll join their cause.

Given their other experiments on humans, I think he's telling you what you want to hear so that you'll join their cause.

Shaun doesn't lie. There is even a holotape in The Institute where someone from The Institute is trying to persuade someone, the Director from back then I think, to not return underground.

From what I understood, there were actually two Commonwealth Provisional Governments: the first one formed by the Institute, and then another one destroyed by the Institute. After all, the Institute originally formed it before getting g3 Synths (before getting g2 as well I think) while the one Nick talks about was destroyed by a g3 Synth it seems.

Either that or it was......a accident. It could be that the synth they sent to the negotiations bugged out. Wouldn't that be a epic twist of fate. The institute actually did mean well, but one little accident buried in the past caused this great divide that never can be corrected.

Well, we do know that the Synth from the "Broken Mask" accident was both malfunctioning AND sent by someone without the Director's approval (there is a hard to find holotape in Shaun's office where the Director from that time is raging about it).

But I think that the Institute killed them intentionally. After all, united Commonwealth would be a threat to them and the Institute is nothing if not paranoid.

Ehhhh, that actually kind of works better.

The Institute created Synths to be invisible but because they're idjits, they're now blamed for everything.

You know, is there actually any other in-game evidence of what Nick is saying?

Now it wouldn't surprise me at all if what Nick says is what the Institute actually did, but we're also just taking Nick at his word. It would be interesting if there is a whole bunch of confusion about the incident and perhaps Nick is actually mistaken or even lying about the events. I don't really recall anyone else but him mentioning it.

And in the in-game slide transitions would actually seem to back-up Shaun's claim of the Institute once trying to work with the people of the Commonwealth.

That does seem possible actually.