Fallout 4's Institute is a shadowy scientific organization attempting to control the Commonwealth, so naturally, it has spies and surveillance everywhere. The most common and insidious method it uses for spying on the wasteland is through its synths, which it can disguise as regular people or even use to replace humans. But the Institute must also occasionally rely on Wastelanders to achieve its goals.

Fallout 4's Kellogg is the most notable example of this, the very man who kills the Sole Survivor's spouse and steals their child at the beginning of the game. But he is far from the only human Institute agent operating above ground. Exploring the Institute's records reveals the identities of several other informants, and knowing who they are will change how you perceive elements of the Commonwealth forever.

Surprising Information From The Institute SRB

Going Through The Synth Retention Bureau's Records

This specific information can be found on a terminal within the SRB section of the Institute in Fallout 4, where data is kept on Coursers, runaway synths, and Institute allies above ground. A list exists exposing the names of several spies apparently on the Institute's payroll, trading information in exchange for bottlecaps and supplies. Almost every name on this list belongs to one of the game's traveling traders, the NPCs who move to different settlements around the map to peddle their wares.

The full list of Institute informants is as follows: Cricket (weapons salesperson), Tommy Lonegan (Combat Zone proprietor), Trashcan Carla (general vendor), Doc Weathers (doctor), A.J. (chem dealer in Goodneighbor), Marowski (chem supplier), Lucas Miller (armor salesperson), and Henry Cook (bartender).

There is no way to use this information once it is read, nor is there any evidence of these NPCs' actions aside from this terminal entry. But for the most part, they make sense as people the Institute would recruit, if it had to recruit anyone. They are highly mobile, speak to many people, are usually well-guarded, and can get into major settlements that Coursers cannot without force.

While it does seem risky for the Institute to work with so many people, some of whom are definitely unreliable, the fact that nobody above ground has any suspicion of their nature as informants speaks to the success of this plan. These people don't keep anything on them to give away; they react with hostility to Institute forces, and many of them are even right under the nose of Mr. Stockton, a known Railroad ally in Fallout 4.

The Truth Behind Fallout 4's Traveling Traders

Why Are These People Working For The Commonwealth Boogeyman?

As for why exactly these people would work for the Institute, that might be a bit more complicated. The terminal says the informants are paid for information they provide on runaway synths and synth sympathizers, but a handful of caps would likely not be enough to coax people into working with such a feared organization. Given the Institute's resources, it's clear they could afford to give whatever these informants could ask for, but there's likely something else at work here.

Because while the people of the Commonwealth fear the Institute in the abstract, it's the synths they fear most directly. The Institute could play off the bias and fear they themselves created, convincing these informants that capturing runaway synths will help keep the wasteland and themselves safe. That fear of synths and a monetary reward could make even cautious merchants consider a deal with the devil.

What These Secret Informants Say About The Wasteland

How These Agents Tie Into Fallout's Themes

Ultimately, while the fact that these characters are informants has no mechanical effect on the game, it is thematically important to the story Fallout 4 is telling.

The paranoia of not knowing who one's enemy is and the tendency for society to villainize its most disenfranchised groups are both themes the game hits pretty hard, and are both exhibited by the Institute's synths.

The paranoia of not knowing who one's enemy is and the tendency for society to villainize its most disenfranchised groups are both themes the game hits pretty hard, and are both exhibited by the Institute's synths. The informants are so afraid of this enemy that they willingly work with another to take them out, unaware that their new allies are who they really need to be afraid of.

It also shows how little the player really gets to know about many of these informant NPCs. The background of nearly every traveling merchant in Fallout 4 is kept vague or absent, though it would be reasonable to assume that some had trauma with synths in the past, potentially leading them to work with the Institute to capture the runaways.

These Fallout 4 characters aren't villains, but they represent how easily people can be turned against one another in terrifying situations, and how hard it can be to tell friend from foe.