Fallout: New Vegas - Dead Money Analysis (Pt 3)

Dean Domino

Yes, it's the same Dean Domino who indirectly caused this whole mess. First, some explanation. In the Fallout universe, the people who were irradiated from the bombs turn into what are called "Ghouls". Ghouls are considered mutants though it's probably impolite to call them that. The radiation causes them to appear like zombies though they're not actually dead. On the contrary, they have increased longevity and can live for hundreds of years.

Apparently, Dean Domino is still hanging around the Sierra Madre scheming for a way to get into it. So counting the years since the war, he's been waiting for roughly two centuries. Wow. If DM's message about greed imprisoning us in a hell of our own making didn't seem clear enough, Dean's story is as subtle as the grill of an oncoming semi. In fact, the bomb collar isn't even necessary. He's already a prisoner in more ways than one.

While it's obvious Dean is a greedy asshole, he's guilty of a much greater sin which is pride.  Pride has been called the "mother of all sins", the sin from which all others arise. In Dean's case, it's true. The reason why he sought to con Frederick out of his fortune was not because of envy. The envy was borne of Dean's inflated ego. Dean could not handle the idea of someone better than him, wealthier than him or even happier than him. This is evident in the way he interacts with the Courier. He thinks he's such hot shit, goes on misquoting Shakespeare and talks in a condescending manner.

In the game, Dean cannot handle it when the Courier doesn't act like a lackey. He doesn't like playing second fiddle. If in at any point the Courier back-talks Dean, points out the flaws of his plans, force him to do things or bruise his ego in any way, he perceives this as a personal insult and betrays the Courier in the end. In fact, it is so easy to get the "Betrayal" ending that I think that Dean dying to the Courier in the casino is the canonical ending. Dean finally underestimates the wrong badass and gets himself killed. Fitting.

Even in Dean's "happy" ending where he discovers the truth about Fredrick and Vera, he only feels sad for like, a second, then shrugs it off. He starts off to Vegas seeing it as a ripe fruit for the taking. I think that this ending is actually still a bad ending for Dean. He didn't learn anything and didn't grow as a character. Hell, even Dog/God had an arc. Dean remains a selfish dick and will more likely get himself into trouble than find true happiness.

"Used to open in Paris. Paris. Now this."

 Christine Royce

Christine was a the assassin sent after Elijah. Like him, she too was a member of the Brotherhood of Steel Mojave Chapter. As a character, Christine looks like a mess. She was lobotomized by the Think Tank in the Big MT (long story but she was tracking Elijah there) and now her vocal chords have been cut and replaced when Dean locked her in an auto-doc. Dean did this because the vault only opens to Vera Keyes' voice. 

She is mute in the game and her interactions with the player are all based on her facial expressions and crude sign language. How well the Courier understands her depends on his perception and intelligence traits as well as certain skills such as medicine. I was very impressed with this creativity. Even if she couldn't speak, the interactions with her are way more memorable than anything in Skyrim. However, I should rant about that game some other day.

At first, it was difficult to tie Christine to the theme of DM. She didn't seem like a bad person and was in fact, the only "good" character in the DLC. However, a friend of mine reminded me that Christine went after Elijah for personal reasons too. I know Christine mentioned that Elijah separated her from her lover but I guess I was too stupid to notice how deep it was. In Old World Blues, a later DLC, Ulysses mentions that Christine and Elijah are more similar than Christine would like to admit.

"Christine: ...don't want to argue philosophy with you. Brotherhood are preservationists. Tech in the wrong hands, it's dangerous. Mojave's proof.

Ulysses: No denying that. Proof's here in this crater, all around us. Your tribe, the Brotherhood - haven't met many of you. Wanted to. Thought you might be the last chance for the Mojave... the West. The East. But you're all the same mind, obsessed.

Christine: Elijah is obsessed. He's mad. It's why they ordered his execution.
 
Ulysses: Two are more alike than you know, too wrapped in the wrong bits of history to see ahead. Not judging. I know how it is. People are like couriers, you and him. Sometimes don't even know the message they bring. You all had a new flag. Thought maybe new ideas along with it. What you believe isn't any better than the Bear or Bull. No future in either.

Christine: So says the man with the Old World flag on his back. America, the Commonwealth... burned away.

Ulysses: America sleeps. And until it's dead, I carry it. Just like I carried you. More than hope. Belief. There's voices here in the Big Empty, I want to talk to them. Not like your Elijah did. Got questions. Want to hear history give its answer"

When Ulysses mentioned them being "wrapped up in the wrong bits of history", he could either be alluding to the Brotherhood's general philosophy or their common troubled history. I'm going with the latter. Christine went after Elijah for personal revenge. I guess that fits.

In the good ending, Christine becomes the warden of the Sierra Madre and looks after it. This is in contrast to Elijah's goals of using the technology for evil. It is ironic how Elijah, an Elder, could so willingly disregard the Brotherhood's core principles. Christine instead, keeps true to the Brotherhood's doctrine of preserving technology and keeping it out of the wrong hands. Her vocal chords heal and uses her new voice as Vera Keyes to replace the "siren song" broadcast into a farewell message for the courier.

Summary

Dead Money tells a story on how greed and obsession can make us all prisoners. It's a simple tale really but it's one told very well. "Letting go?" "Begin again?" Words to live by. I like games that have a moral point to them. Dead Money, out of all the DLCs, is the best in my opinion. The tight gameplay is enhanced by the well written story.

"Wait a moment. Before you go, I... we... hope you've enjoyed your stay. Farewells can be a time of sadness -- letting go, difficult. As a guest of the Sierra Madre, you know that truth more than anyone. Frederick Sinclair believed that one's life could be made anew every day, that fortunes were more than the wealth in your hands. Love, life, family, those to care for and those who will care for you: to those who know these joys, the Sierra Madre holds little they don't already have. Out in the world, beyond these walls, that is your chance to begin again. I hope that you will return in happier times. Until then, the Sierra Madre, and I, will hold you in our hearts" 

Let go and begin again.