Ryan And Fontaine

* See also Ryan and Fontaine
* See also BS1, BS2
* See also Fontaine_Wasnt_Al_Capone]]
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Andrew Ryan & Frank Fontaine ( aka Atlas ) :
It is unfortunate that because of the story 'Twist The "Would You Kindly" control phrase of the Player's character, with Atlas actually being the supposedly dead Fontaine Reveal' thing, that the game's writers decided to paint Ryan as an 'evil meanie', so that YOU would have empathy to follow Atlas ( along their restrictive game plot path ). It was all a Setup for Fontaine's 'secret' betrayal/exposure/reveal. Most of what you know about Ryan is handily force-fed material from Atlas or by Ryan's detractors ( because the writers Knew YOU could be 'led-by-the-nose like a steer into the abattoir' in your maintained ignorance ). Ryan's Death happens, and then the focus moves away, not really explaining much more about Ryan, nor exonerating him.
(( As I've said many times - It IS a Shoot-Em-Up game - They have no need/priority for it to make sense or to be cohesive or offer latitude for the Player's own discovery or questioning what was happening. ))
Fontaine, when he thinks he has won, actually tells us what a bastard he is, and about his basic motives. He explains about his actual actions (and crimes) and not just his 'philosophy'. He's the ultimate Parasite, who doesn't care to build/create anything worthwhile ( nor of his murdering others and destroying their achievements to get what he wants ). Fontaine runs a 'con' 'Con' is short for 'Confidence man/game', which as a criminal attempting to obtain advantage through lies, fraud and confusion, and other trickery., making believe he lives within Ryan's Philosophy, EXCEPT it is just a facade to steal Big Time. Fontaine represents the worst kind of 'Parasite' that Ryan hated in the Real World above, and what Ryan was fighting to eliminate/suppress/exclude within His City.
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You could paint Fontaine's Rapture life as a 'game' - a murderous destructive game, like his life on The Surface ( the Novel fills in more detail ). He 'games' the system, to the great detriment of others ( His actions included murdering people within the normal 'Surface' society - all to further his ambitions ). (( Note that most real con-artists have to hide their identities, have to keep moving - As once they are 'found out' and identified as such, they 'are done'. People who were swindled have the law on their side. Fontaine operating in such a fashion for too long is one of the Flaws of his 'Backstory'. ))
Fontaine is a Sociopath. He exploits the freedoms in Rapture in order to take it over and would end those freedoms, even kill everyone in it. Not exactly the kind of person anyone sane ( if they knew what he was ) would wish to have controlling society. Fontaine eventually exploits many unfortunates in Rapture with lies, telling them what they want to hear (seemingly very easily). He gets many addicted to a powerful drug to cause societal chaos. His 'Atlas' pretends to be a 'Liberator' so that HE can gain Power. ( Read his own words about his many deceits/Lies ). 
Can Fontaine really be put in some better light ?? What 'circumstance' could Fontaine have that justifies 'what he was' ? Just an Objectivism 'Opportunist' ? "Isn't that too all Ryan is ?" Perhaps the writers think that way, but they would be wrong. Ryan Built. Was not Fontaine's cover shown as an "entrepreneur" something which Ryan was OK with (at first) ? Fontaine's amorality and criminal actions are conveniently hidden for so long. Only too late, to US the Player, is Fontaine shown for what he really is -- a Criminal -- a Thief, a Murderer, and NOT a "Builder". Opportunity ( what Ryan speaks-of/believes-in ) is made invalid/reprehensible when it goes past society's limits, and involves stealing from and murdering/destroying others ( SOMETHING not really emphasized by the writers ... ). 
But is not Fontaine merely a 'Strawman' A posed atypical example the writers use in their attempt to show ( to a certain popular mentality ) how Capitalism/Individuality is supposedly 'flawed' ( and eventually even being 'evil' ) ? If so, the Writers' argument is quite Flawed. The writers never let the story show the People of Rapture reacting to Fontaine and his deeds AS THEY REALLY SHOULD HAVE DONE. They do not let the citizens do what is allowed/encouraged within the 'Checks-and-Balances' of Ryan's Objectivist Philosophy - provisions meant to handle rogues like Fontaine in a Society built on individual Rights and Freedoms. 
The Rapture story then would have been far different. But that all has been left-out/avoided because it did NOT fit their force-fed/contrived game story Unsophisticated Simpleton Storytelling is what apparently was 'good enough' for the average Shooter game Player. BioShock maybe was 'a head above' most other games, but still fell short of what it could have been.. The writers ignore the integral philosophical and practical aspects of Rapture's proposed Society ( substituting their simplistic/shallow unexplained puppet-show backdrop society instead ). They leave out the logical societal mechanisms that WOULD make it work. (( Any moron can create a Failtopia by being simplistically lazy or by intentionally avoiding realism. ))
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So Ryan's Pride ( at being outdone ) makes Fontaine his enemy ? Or is it (later) Ryan attempting to undo the Poisons he now saw afflicting Rapture's society by a criminal Fontaine ? Ryan is competitive, but draws the line at criminal activity. It might not be understood, to many people today, that Ryan's business practices were at that time quite normal OMG OMG ... someone makes 'Profit' !!!! Shriek Shriek ... Cringe Cringe ... *Snowflakes assume fetal position and soil selves* ... Thank leftist propaganda perpetrated by academics for general ignorance about how businesses actually work. . The World (and Society) worked that way, and had its own balancing points. 
Ryan, at some point, understood Fontaine was smuggling ( and perhaps involved in other criminal activity ). But ( per the dictates of the Laws of Rapture set by his Philosophy ) for a long time could not 'prove it' ( so convenient to the story ), and thus could not have the City take action. 
Ryan at least understood that Civilization is based on cooperation, but ALSO has moved forward on individuals being able to exceed the doings of a largely mediocre herd ( effort historically was encouraged in America via self-interest/incentive -- Ryan's Great Chain ). This has (REAL) historically led to the opening up of opportunities/advantages for the rest of Society, leading to our Modern World. 
Ryan actually expected Audio Diary that Rapture likely-would have SOME problems with people adjusting slowly from the way things operated (the socialism) 'on The Surface'. That, happening even WITH the selection he allowed INTO Rapture ( his pick of people when attempting to filter-out those who would not fit into Rapture Rapture Residency was "By Invite Only" ... ). Ryan trusted that the benefits of his Philosophical System would win in the end. He believed That THEY ALL (or most) would be able to 'take responsibility for themselves' - to NOT be people who suddenly turned to demanding their sustenance be 'handed to them' by others. (( THAT, for people being the ultimate Surrender/Betrayal of "Free Will" )) 
(( IT IS UNFORTUNATE the gamewriters CONTRIVED to force Failure upon Rapture, by removing the enabled strengths that the people in Rapture WOULD HAVE HAD ( using the mechanisms Objectivism allows for ). That kind of storytelling is a hack writer's (Clueless ???) methodology - Done instead of delivering a more plausible/real-world-like set of details for the story. The advent of ADAM SHOULD have been enough by itself, without 'stacking the deck' with all the other exaggerated contrived effects. )) 
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A man with ethics (Ryan) has to fight to stay within society's limits, while a man who 'does not' (Fontaine) has a much easier time (and the game writers made that VERY easy for Fontaine). The game somewhat illustrates the battle within Ryan as to what lines he crosses, (and when) to save his City. The evidence we see is in Audio Diaries ( done from Ryan's point of view, and possibly only what he can admit to himself, and what HE believes to be true AT THE TIME THEY WERE RECORDED ). It is not AN actual authoritative narration (which the writers would have you assume it was). The out of sequence 'evidence' ( you see in wrecked Rapture ) are often from times BEFORE Ryan knows what is really going on. THOSE make him look faulty ( as intended by the writers TO SET UP the Player ). Later, WE are finally allowed a better overview, about certain events and the results of Ryan's reactions. The Player is still not really shown how Ryan made decisions on what he could ONLY see AT THE TIME.
The poisoning of Ryan's city is largely hid from him ( example - the conveniently delayed effects of ADAM insanity and disfigurements ). He tries to let the Citizens work the lessor effects of ADAM out for themselves ( as what happens under Objectivism ), then unknown calamities and terrorist-caused actions are laid upon him. So many effects could hardly have stayed hidden as long as they did, especially with a public such things would panic - spreading even just a few cases like wildfire, and fanned by a Free Press. But no it didn't emerge til 'ADAM' was Ryan's 'baby', YEARS after Fontaine had been selling the poison. 
Worst of all, the game writers have various biased detractors first claiming Ryan didn't do enough, to impose regulation, and then others saying that he was TOO heavy-handed in handling an emergency. The majority of the people of Rapture actually WOULD HAVE agreed with Ryan's decisions at the time they were made. It IS all a rather clumsy/failing part of the writer's story.
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BioShock Rapture is a Story About Betrayal :
Not by Ryan of Rapture, but by those who he though had been capable of embracing the ideals Rapture was founded upon.  The implications that Ryan had 'sold out' his Philosophy were quite badly writer-contrived.  There actually should have been widespread clamor/support by the majority of the population for Ryan to wipe out the destructive/terroristic Parasites ( Remember that there really isn't anything 'warm and fuzzy' about Parasites -- Who quite often KILL their Host ).   Post-WW2 people had little sympathy for evil people getting away with things, and understood better ( than the 'Safe' Players today ) how vulnerable their freedoms and right were, and what strong measure could/should be employed to protect them.
Fontaine (a parasite) was making profits by imperiling Rapture to the Surface World via Smuggling, thus was also cheating Citizens of their livelihood who tried to produce goods in Rapture equivalent to the various Contraband.   Fontaine cared not that the effects of his ADAM was to poison and maim mentally and physically its users.   He built his power by extorted and killing people and enslaved children.  His crimes were exposed to the people of Rapture ( result - whining about Ryan's "betrayal" of 'his' Philosophy ).   Ryan merely saw that justice was done.
Ignorance ( or Dishonesty creating a Strawman ) assumes that Philosophy has to be absolute and can't include pragmatic/adaptable elements, which Ryan's Philosophy had.  Absolute Philosophy like Hitler's/Stalin's/Mao's murdered millions of people and tyrannized even more as the impractical goals were forced on them.  Ryan stated that you keep what works of itself and the losers fall by the wayside - the Market was the arbiter.  When massive destructive forces threatened ( ex- Atlas's terrorists ), Ryan rallied the citizens to defend themselves and took needed measures against the Enemies to Safety, Order and Law.
In the game, all we see is the destruction/ruins caused by that war, with little detail about what really took place, OR who really perpetrated what -- Intentionally hidden to lead the Player down a false (twist) trail, which then never is quite properly explained in the end.
Some people (just like today) "talk the talk", but fail when it comes to actually following thru, they are demure when things get difficult, and wait to leave it to others to 'handle'.   Ryan (as its shown) alone took charge when normal society (apparently) wasn't capable of handling the forces endangering his City.  The game writers cherry-picked their Audio Diary accounts, complaining about his doing so -- Virtually nothing was heard on the other side.   It is like someone subsequently complaining about the police breaking down their home door so to get to an insane criminal in the process of murdering them - blind ingratitude and delusion.
In the End : It is betrayal by the gamemakers, who sloppily and illogically setup a fall for Ryan and his Philosophy to foster their rather weak shoot-em-up plot, while ignoring true human motivations and how people in the Real World act. "Its Just a Game !!!" - Yes "just", despite claims/hype/acclaim that 'Story' was its outstanding feature.That judgement is more an indicator of the general lack and poor showings on 'story' most games have. 
Ex- McDonagh -- See the whole separate section on how scatter-brained McDonagh's actions/opinions were ( when you gor by the Audio Diaries heard in-game ).
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Not exactly any wording Ryan would use ( or the message you might assume he would do anything like this for ). So it must've been Fontaine/Atlas ( who was NOW 'in control' - if you recall when YAOAU see this ) who is just 'cleaning up' a few 'loose ends' - people he didn't like/defied him .... like Ryan Supporters. BUT it gets vaguely implied it is supposedly as being Ryan's work, and many Players don't understand THAT really doesn't make much sense.
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 "Distortions" :
I have an issue with the limits and distortions while trying to interpret the Audio Diary sources. We get explanations given by people with an unknown quantity of knowledge/ignorance of what is really going on in Rapture, and frequently it represents their Biased viewpoint and motivations (in TALK). It is NOT an Authoritative Narration, just mere shreds of clues, which themselves can be misleading AND often completely false. The evidence we are given in the game has major gaps ( which we must frequently try to interpolate between ). Some may reflected 'the truth' OR just someone's Take on events. But even those have an indeterminant value because of the unknown Time/Place (context) they were recorded. 
WE should make ASSUMPTIONS based on the Real World (ie- that Era) which Rapture is modeled after -- The Normal REAL ways that things happen, which the game's presentation often clashes with.
Many Players are wholly ignorant of what Rapture SHOULD have been, and how many of the people in it SHOULD have acted/thought/behaved. In many cases, events in the story are illogical, especially when many surrounding details in the game are so Partial, Vague, and left Unexplained.
Likewise, Radio Messages from characters, particularly from Atlas are intentionally misleading. You only later learn that so much YOU WERE TOLD by him was False. The writer's story shaped (forced) the Player's opinions and omitted so much else which might have easily conflicted with all the contoured LIES. The writers needed to conceal their plot Twist.
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Fontaine Was Actually the Largest Cause of Much of Raptures Economic Distress :
* Smuggling operations undercut in-Rapture production of goods ( those with money would have bought and encouraged more local 'luxury/quality' goods if they didn't have an easy alternative ). Apparently Ryan knew there was an operation, but his men could come up with no evidence, even after years -- and he followed Rapture's (his) own rules about 'due process'. In as small a place as Rapture, this inability to discover the mass of criminal behavior seems ludicrous, even with the bribery hamstringing Ryan's security. Meanwhile, the smuggling profits went into Fontaine's pockets to be used to further his other criminal ventures.
* Fontaine swindled his own employees on their wages ( an Audio Diary mentions this ), and those who complained too much wound up dead.
* Criminally running competitors out of the fish business, and raising prices because of his monopoly ( you think he wouldn't ?? ) Like Capone, he branched out to many other businesses and no doubt employed the same unfair/thuggish tactics. When people started getting killed by Fontaine, THEN it should have been enough for Ryan to go after him. But conveniently, that doesn't seem to have happened -- It would have gotten in the way of the plot.
* Highly addictive ADAM being intentionally distributed -- which incapacitated workers and took away money they needed to support themselves and their families, and through the insanity causing mass violence and disruptions (including murder) amongst the population.
* The Kashmir Incident that caused the run on the banks (market Crash). It bankrupted many who had to shutdown businesses - further damaging the economy ( Ryan wouldn't have done the 'just print more money' that politicians these days do so much of ).
* Fontaine's Splicers disrupting normalcy in many sections of the city, quite a while BEFORE the 'civil war' even started.
* And of course 'the plot' called for Ryan to not be able to prove any of Fontaine's crimes/Treasons ( a huge smuggling operation that ran for years ) and shut down Fontaine BEFORE he built a whole Splicer army to start a war with ( violence and criminal activity were NOT part of the 'free market' system and Ryan would have had the public's support ). The Smuggling was actually Treason against the safety of the people of Rapture, but that seems to have had little significance.
* ADAM obviously causing insanity and mayhem -- common knowledge throughout the City, even 'No-Laws' Rapture would allow Ryan to publicly call for the proven mass-poisoners to be shut down and let the public denounce and charge the poisoner (Fontaine) if he did not desist. But no, Ryan couldn't possibly do that ( even though simple Public awareness would NOT be against his 'principles', he wasn't given this as an option in the plot ). Shutting down the ADAM business as a public menace was somehow 'against the free market'.
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Ryan the Cardboard Cutout Villain :
Ryan intervening in the 'civil war' only when normalcy is long gone : "was damned if he did and damned if he didn't" -- Now when he finally intervenes for public safety he is labeled a tyrant.
Maintaining order WAS one of the things that Ryan had a mandate to do.
Apparently seizing Fontaine Futuristics was the 'breaking point' that enabled 'Atlas' ( 'Ryan the tyrant' propaganda ) even though it was the source of the poison and was being used to arm the gangs of murderous Splicers that were disrupting Rapture ( crazy Splicers murdering MANY citizens to the point they couldn't go to work or even out to buy food ). Ryan should have shut the company down and let Atlas's Splicers wither away as their ADAM was cut off -- instead of the lame excuses showing him running it 'business as usual' -- You don't have 'business as usual' in the middle of a War. Poisoning further Citizens instead was a bad decision he probably would NOT have made ( except the plot said so ) -- Rapture IS its Citizens. There is NO 'market' to be 'free' when psychotic maniacs are shooting everyone in sight.
The later control Pheromone vs Free-Will issue wouldn't have happened ( the supposed 'final' abandonment of his principles ... ) Even with THAT measure, hadn't the Splicers already surrendered their Free-Will to their ADAM addiction ( the Pheromones control ONLY worked on Splicers genetically modified by Plasmids ... ). Instead the game makes Ryan only interested in profits.
So Ryan waited too long to go against his 'principles' - only when Rapture was heading for destruction and Splicer armies were taking over and he finally had to take strong measures and fought back instead of simply surrendering to those who would take all the power for themselves ( and destroy any hope of going back to Rapture's founding principles ).
Was Ryan intelligently allowed to follow his principles ? Or was he really just turned into a inflexible cardboard cutout tyrant to set the stage for a Blast-fest Shoot-em-up game in a flimsily contrived 'ruined city' ????
Nothing, even logic, gets in the way of 'The Plot'.
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Meal Ticket :
Something Which Became Rather Important During the Rapture "civil war" :
Consider :
* With major disruptions to the Economy, and the citizens supply chains ( even for basic sustenance ). You DON'T eat, SOON you Die ...
* Ryan keeping things running, with a priority of just feeding people. Most citizens in Rapture would support Ryan (and Atlas for all his high talk, produces little that keeps people alive, and only advocates stealing from others).
* It might be asked : Really how long could Atlas hold out when he had to feed the people doing the killing and destruction for him. The truth may be that there really were only so many ( it doesn't take many to do random acts of violence and killing, interrupt normalcy, and to bring things to a standstill ).
* Strong Measures would be taken in reaction ( whined about by the game authors who live in a nice safe protected world, and who apparently know nothing of real history and incapable of understanding a situation so remote from there's ).
* Atlas's chaos-mongering would become less and less effective, requiring him to do more and more heinous acts. That happening to the point where by the time Jack arrives, Atlas is all but defeated ( and not as portrayed - by some "Pheromone Control", which had no effect on the population's majority -- who STILL weren't Splicers ).
* Ryan was stability, and a 'known quantity', whereas Atlas, the self-proclaimed 'voice of the people', was just a criminal anarchist, and MOST of Rapture MOST CERTAINLY wanted him dead.
My Theory Justified : We See Brenda and Charlie running what was left of Kashmir ( the Lounge Room at least ) for Ryan, to FEED people ( the filthy kitchen DID look like it had seen recent use ). The Cuisine probably wasn't up to the old standards, but to truly hungry workers ( also still working for Ryan ), a solid meal of Cooked Fish and Potatoes probably would be just fine.
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 War Measures :
I use the term "War Measures" so much BECAUSE : Things (Real World) change drastically under a major crisis situation. It becomes a time when Normalcy ends, and very hard decisions have to be made by the people involved. It involves crossing lines un-thinkable when things are 'normal'. Necessity is not "Hypocrisy" We might as well accuse Ken Levine of his "Hypocrisy" when the game company ordered him to change the whole set of concepts of the game from what HE had originally decided, and then HE 'caved in to them' and proceeded to go against HIS own ideas/wishes.. Most of the Players, possibly, Haven't-A-Clue(tm) historically about what "War Measures" even are, or what they mean to a society ( and THAT often with the perspective in the USA which was barely touched by WW2, as compared to other places in the World ). Ryan made similar decisions to what FDR and Churchill had to make for WW2, but HE is labeled/impugned as a 'Tyrant' for it - And by game Characters who SHOULD (if they were realistic ) have had some better understanding/been-accepting of the necessity, as THEY had recently lived through such times themselves. 
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Wars do change people, but Ryan's 'War Measures' could be undone when it was all over ( as they largely were in the US after WW2 ) -- after he saved the City HE built (made happen). ADAM and Splicers ? Find a cure. Population depleted ? Bring in more. Betrayed and 'Hopeless' ? Get more sane supporters. People want to leave ? Come up with an Amnesia Tonic and dump them out into The Surface World they deserve. Rebuild. Pheromones stealing 'free will' ? - Don't use them anymore, and get rid of the ADAM and that doesn't work any more. Ryan seemed to still be sticking to his 'principals' at the end -- even as dim as the plot progression was. Lets have him do it ALL more logically.
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WRITERS : Its ALL Ryan's Fault 
Rapture is a 'sad wreck' ? - Yep Yep Yep, 'Ryan did that' -- cuz a lying Atlas tells us so. Again there are lots of vague anecdotal detractors, and we hear from very few Ryan supporters for any Contrary view. We ( before BaSx, and even with that Infinite BS hugified environment ) are hardly told/shown what an amazing place Rapture ( built BY Ryan ) was before Fontaine/Atlas went to work destroying it.
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Some of the problems I have tried to resolve -- Ryan was an Industrialist who had for decades dealt with People/Institutions/Laws, and he HAD TO KNOW how things operated with People. These shooter game developers make him look like an idiot for many of the decisions they contrive for him, even to the way he allegedly has set up Rapture ( There is so much about that which we never get details on ). Again, it appears a Dystopic situation out-and-out designed 'To Fail' by the game makers. It could have been done alot more believably (simply written better), even while still bringing about that destiny/story-outcome (or better).
Fontaine is made Capone (story-wise), but NOT Capone ( via realism being inforce ) -- in that the real Capone knew he was an operator within the boundaries of Society, AND if he ever stepped outside of that too far He was Done. Fontaine wants it all, and manages to be trapped in his own scam. He had the resources to take Rapture's knowledge (ADAM, etc ...) and go to the Surface and become that 'Big Man' industrialist he dreamed of. But NO, Fontaine suddenly is made too limited to do what he could/should have half-logically done (Bathyspheres locked ? He has Submarines - you mean he didn't stash a few when he was planning his new 'Atlas' scam ? Or MADE SURE all along for his ultimate goal ?). He suddenly also becomes as stupid/inept as Ryan is made to be portrayed - when the game plot winds to its end.
The writers paint Ryan as such an extremist ( It is easy, it is just words they write ), and who is steadfast against Philanthropy/Altruism, WHEN his own belief in 'Freedom' should mean that anyone should be able to help someone else AS LONG AS it is with THEIR OWN MONEY, and as long as acting "Altruistic" is not to be imposed on others. ( Private welfare would have defused much of that contrived 'poor worker' problem, so any such had to be made VERBOTEN in the story - except as leverage for the evil character's machinations ). 
BTW - Ryan was ACTUALLY against 'False Altruists' - those who force altruism on others for their own gain. In Rapture he tries to eliminate the institutions that are (on The Surface) used to FORCE Altruism upon people.
The funny thing is : Rapture itself was a huge act of Philanthropy/Altruism on Ryan's part : To create such a place of Opportunity (and Safety) for Others at his own huge expense ( He was already so rich that additional wealth/power should not be his motives for building such a place ). He could instead have simply QUIT the Doomed World and built a one-man Paradise for himself and some sufficient number of sycophants.
As the story goes, Ryan really doesn't get much help from anyone around him ( the plot forces that ). His fair weather supporters conveniently never really give him much Useful Advice nor Offered Solutions ( or any we are allowed to hear of ). They instead betray him ( McDonagh's actions are some of the dimmest decisions -- to have McDonagh somehow trust in handing power to Fontaine or Atlas, AND to be so ignorant of what criminals/anarchist controlling Rapture would likely mean ). Ryan is left all alone. He is THEN NOT even allowed to make logical decisions in many cases ('logical' as being made from WHO he was SUPPOSED TO BE, and what he personally went thru in HIS life to be who he was, and what he believed).
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Story Contrivances :
Construction Workers conveniently get put 'Out of Work', when that should have been expected to happen ( It would certainly be expected in the Long-Term City plan, by Ryan ). They would probably have been told they would HAVE TO ( be expected to eventually ) find new jobs/professions. People in the Real World have to do that ALL THE TIME ( and Ryan should/would have known/expected THAT adjustment , and had contingencies for it ... Except, NO, the writers make sure he does not ). How many 'Poor Workers' existed ?? - That also wasn't made too clear ( and most would NOT be skill-less grunt laborers with low potential for countless other jobs ). But the story goes : that City Construction suddenly ends, *Boom* and so countless workers ( in the simpleton's ideas of economics ) are on the street -- With no savings or owned houses or working spouses, or any job prospects. What fraction of the population and fraction of these 'workers' actually were these "Poor" ? But still that 'crisis' actually happening around 1952 ( long before Golden Age Rapture shown by BaSx ), and Rapture apparently weathered THAT economic distress and recovered ( things balanced themselves under Ryan's Philosophy ).
Malcontents, maladjusted and lazy people exist in every society 1940 - One in 240 people in the United States was in a government run mental facility. . Ryan at least gave The Rest an opportunity of Freedom ( unlike most places in the World -- even today ). Such malcontents can make alot of trouble IF they are allowed to -- disrupting the Economy and threatening Public Safety ( notice though that they had to be armed with Combat Plasmids to actually get anywhere ). In the old days, it was NOT politically incorrect to call someone a 'Bum' if they actually WERE a bum ( and most people understood NOT encouraging/empowering 'Bums' in THOSE days ).
So add the game's (the writers) catering to 'Modern Thinking' of generally ignorant Players ( pushing their buttons intentionally - for the allegedly socially relevant plot ). Player who are largely ignorant of how people in THAT era actually would understand the events the game portrays ( In those times it was often quite different than from Players 'understanding' of today's world/society ).
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THEN Along comes ADAM : 
Which completely overwhelms Rapture's (intended) limited social control mechanisms, which Ryan had counted on for normal societal problems. JUST Think what mass-introduction of ADAM-Insanity and Plasmid Power Weirdness would do to our oh-so-caring 'better' society !! (IMO, Our society is far more fragile than Rapture's). 
The 1959 economic distress was caused NOT by Ryan's Philosophy system's failing ( a previous Recession ~ 1952 WAS handled after all ), but instead was being manufactured by Fontaine/Atlas ( call it 'Terrorism' and 'murder intent to destroy Order' and to end Ryan's influence ). The (writer's) story FORCED an inept/unlikely/illogical/implausible mis-handling of it all by Ryan, and ridiculous inactivity by the Citizenry and the existing social-balance institutions that existed within his Philosophy ( like a 'Free Press' -- which strangely only attacked Ryan ).
Example : The earlier Smuggling thing would/could NOT have been covered up for so long in a place as small as Rapture. In any case, Rapture's 'law' system worked-out handling the Smuggling problem (eventually). BUT SO soon after that, Rapture's society couldn't handle 'a guerrilla war' being declared from within by Atlas, using ADAM monsters. And REMEMBER : Rapture was no Police State, it hardly had a Police force at all. That was the something that allowed/enabled Fontaine/Atlas, via ADAM's superpowers, to do So much, So fast. The Terrorists Splicers effectively attack any-place any-time and anybody (the unprotected) employed to achieve Fontaine's goals. The few police with guns were shown unable to counter Combat Plasmids placed in the hands of half-insane Terrorists sneaking through the city. Heavier weapons would be used (Chemical Throwers) to counter the Terrorist Splicers, but would prove ineffective in the guerrilla type fighting. 
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The (Writers) Fix 'Was In' :
The poisonous/maiming ADAM could have simply been Banned ( by public outcry alone ) AS an obvious Health Risk - IF it had been noticed and exposed ( Sorry Charley, such was not part of the writer's narrative ... ). SO the people of Rapture were made passive and inept and to act stupidly against their interests ( BTW, the fad-ism of ADAM was simply NOT ENOUGH of an excuse for its widespread adoption, despite the writers' assertion in the story ). 
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Ryan had allegedly vetted the people who come to Rapture The BS2 'writing to someone' in Ryan's Amusement ride hints that. BUT, a collectivist/mental case like Sofia Lamb, for some reason, gets a pass -- Oh so conveniently. Funny how that is made to happen to introduce another poison into Rapture ( for the Philosophical conflict ).
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 'There is No Law' in Rapture ?? Anarchy ? Absurd. 
It is a myth some Players might assume. Anarcho-Capitalism ??? BUT How do you have a commercial society of the level of a Modern City without ANY Law/Laws ( with no enforcement or arbitration or courts ) ?? THAT'S Only in Fantasy-land... We are just not told those things (whole institutions) are still there -- as they would NEED to be. Again the spotty portrayal is 'For the Plot'. The writers needed to make Ryan, and his Libertarianism/Objectivism, sound crazy to the typical Player. What a great RIGGED setup to create Failure for any society ( easy-peasy for the writers to create a simple cardboard cutout 'lawless' dystopia, which this Slaughter-fest Shooter game minimally required ... ).
Ryan initially does nothing ( doesn't react/interfere, even after the problems grow some ). He waits for Rapture's Society to handle it all itself -- quite reasonably -- and gets blamed for THAT ( adhering to his Philosophy that everyone expected ). But the society the writers created does not have the features a REAL Objectivist society WOULD have, so things of course get much worse. When Ryan DOES finally take strong action (now an emergency), it is now labeled as 'Breaking his own Philosophy', and he is then blamed for that too. That's the story the gamewriters force upon you. 
Actually, the majority of people in Rapture would have continued to support Ryan ( They came out of World War 2, and understood about why/when strong measure need to be taken ). Unfortunately, we hardly hear from the bulk of the Ordinary Citizens in the game (( The 'Ryan is Bad' rigged plot strikes again. )). We are constantly fed lies from Atlas, and vagaries and partial facts in the Audio Diaries -- getting steered by the writer's needs for a story 'twist'.
So All in All, Ryan was effectively made into an illogical story pawn, forced to act with a 'heavy hand' ( with Rapture's Society "writer-blocked" from working/acting properly ) - denied the tools/support he should have had, and was made to do stupid actions. 
"The Storyboard rules - the Writer drools" - Stanley Kubrick
The Novel author seems to have picked up on that strange situation, and tried to fill in some details to explain things more. Unfortunately he was still restricted in having to deal with established 'facts' from the game, and the plot's outcome. The BS2 and BaSx DLC writers subsequently ran with the previous game writers' now locked-in societal stupidity and story flaws, and added their own. 
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So How Else Could Ryan Be Interpreted ?
An 'Ego-Maniac' running his own kingdom ? Atlas might claim that, BUT Ryan seems to bend over backwards to not do that. AND he could have built the place much simpler/cheaper/enforcible IF THAT were his intent. He sure took his time stepping-in to counter those who were working against him and trying to change Rapture. No laws ? No Justice ? Yet Ryan was (shown) awfully concerned with following "Due Process" against those he saw as Rapture's enemies. In comparison, Fontaine and Lamb would have murdered Ryan at the drop of a hat -- IF they had been in Ryan's position of power .
"The Hephaestus Hermit", as Ryan was labeled, sounds pretty stupid and inept/uncaring. SO Ryan is sitting doing nothing ? Instead The Citizens would/should have seen that Ryan had constantly been taking action. In the story THIS was NOT recognized in contrary statements. NOTHING ??? With All the Security measures Ryan took ? They Forgot about those ? Most everything he did after the Kashmir Massacre is hardly mentioned/pointed-out. ALSO, A city doesn't run itself, and Hephaestus is his command center. He is the one keeping the City running and alive ( nobody else seemed to be 'going to help' ... ). If Ryan is to rebuild/restore Rapture, he has to GET RID of the destructive Terrorist Atlas FIRST, AND HIS actions WOULD have been KNOWN ( been quite obvious ) to the populace. 
Rapture's many survivors have to be fed, given Power, Air and Water and Heat. Ryan's WYK wall, looks like he had people busy gathering data for him to piece together that puzzle. It is revealed : that Once Jack arrives, Ryan is prepared and starts to play his own game.
BUT Ryan then went 'Crazy' ?? ( BTW : A 'String Board' is frequently a plot device used in Movies/TV to signify 'obsession' - Except on 'cop' shows, were it implies a systematic/efficient detective process ). Ryan THEN killing himself like that, when he was actually winning ??? ( Illogical, AND a writer-missed major opportunity for a REAL 'Twist' : of Ryan ALSO faking his own death. ) How did Ryan EVER become a super-rich industrialist by ever giving up at some mere setback ?? Sorry Levine, No.
And WHY did Ryan not SIMPLY (and dramatically) 'Blow Rapture Up' Properly ? Or wasn't Ryan competent to do that (as shown) for that one simple thing ? Instead, he virtually hands it all to Atlas/Fontaine -- WHY ? So now Ryan is even MORE inept ? Crazy doesn't equate with 'inept'. A meglo-maniacal 'Great Statement' to ALL RAPTURE about THEIR failure and HIS 'disappointment' would have been more fitting, NO ? For some reason Ryan doesn't see the thing done properly ( ... It did NOT fit the writer's plot, with its anti-climactic, less-than-awesome end 'Boss Fight').
Ryan simply could have drowned his City bit by bit to 'get Atlas', BUT he didn't. WHY NOT have Ryan PROPERLY destroy HIS creation IF he was so disappointed with it ? -- Because it was 'ruined' and 'being taken from him' ( Burn down the Forest... as per the Audio Diary ) ? BUT HE DID NOT. 
EXCEPT - ( Looking at It Logically ) Ryan figured out what Jack was ( see his WYK Board tracing Fontaine's plot ) - It WOULD be Easy enuf for Ryan to there nullify Jack and deprogram him later. First Turn Fontaine into Fish food, and go on to rebuild Rapture.
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Great Men Overcome Setbacks. 
Small Men never would have built Rapture (or our Modern World).
So it really wouldn't matter if Ryan wasn't George Washington. The hack game writers said he had to be 'The Bad Guy' and Fail, so he was and did. ALL Too contradictory and illogical. Even Great and Misunderstood ( an interpretation from between the lines/vagueness we are given ), the deck was stacked ridiculously against Ryan.
Fontaine was just a 'Parasite' which should have simply been 'stepped on' in a properly Epic Story.
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Atlas, May the Farce be With You ... :
Various Audio Diaries call/label Ryan a Tyrant/Despot because of the Security/War Measures he has had to employ against the murderous tactics of Atlas and his followers in the 'civil war' Terrorist Campaign ( blowing up people at a party to start off ).  Earlier Ryan was supposedly denounced ( including by Atlas ) for the takeover of Fontaine Futuristics, but likely few Citizens of Rapture disagreed with Ryan/City Council doing that -- Fontaine was a criminal and his crimes were exposed.
Ryan starts the security measures AFTER Atlas's thugs start killing people, not before.
* How many citizens might have heard Atlas's message initially, the protests, etc ... But then, when the violence started, would have left him ? ( Were those some of the bodies we saw labeled "Gene Traitors" that we saw strung up in Apollo square ?   How many of those 'Missing' people were people killed by Atlas ??? )
* How many real world people would actually join someone like Atlas the Terrorist ??  
* How many of the people in Rapture left The Surface World to GET AWAY FROM people like Atlas ?
* Did more than a few People join because they were suffering the mental problems/derangement of ADAM abuse ( their insanity/mental incapacity making them gullible or simply addled or so addicted to be bribeable with ADAM ) ?
How do such 'poor' people afford ADAM ? Unless it was largely Atlas giving it to them, and he obviously had a supply stashed to do that, as ADAM costs money, AND was in short supply ( according to the game plot ).  
The use of ADAM increased a magnitude AFTER Atlas's terrorist thugs start killing people wholesale ( the public arming to defend themselves ) - It doesn't sound like the alleged Ryan 'police state' was all that powerful/controlling, and Rapture's citizens decided they needed to take their own action.  We hardly heard much about what they did in struggling against those who wanted to overthrow order in Rapture and were simply murdering Citizens.
"Atlas - Voice of the People" poster seen in BaS2 : Is that being "Unknown" ( as a McDonagh Audio Diary claims - Canon ) ?  Making posters ahead of time might be logical, but that propaganda wouldn't work on the thugs Atlas is locked in with.  In the 'prison', he is in with criminal thugs, not the 'poor' unfortunates he is portrayed to be a hero for in BS1/Novel.  This propaganda deployment doesn't make sense for this point in time.   BaS1/2 discontinuity seem to make it less and less to be 'Canon'   ( TVTROPES has endless discussion of 'Canon' variations ).
In the start of BaS2, Atlas orders one of his thugs to kill Elizabeth.  Why does he suddenly have such authority amongst the ex-Fontaine criminals -- Particularly when many are half-insane and ready to Incinerate! his ass if he (a non-Splicer) tried to coerce them ?   Atlas/Fontaine would be very careful to keep his real identity secret ( lest Ryan find out and come to eradicate him, and there WOULD be plenty of inmates there who would betray 'Atlas' in a second if they learned of the truth or thgough he had a big stash of ADAM ).
Fontaine/Atlas is sent to the prison at "Fontaine's".   Was this because he was ( as his assumed identity ) made up as one of Fontaine's criminal 'minions' ?   He was mentioned to be a 'fisherman' somewhere.   Or does the story go that was he sent later because he (Atlas) was already (pre-Kashmir) instigating riots/violence ? details ? 
It would be logical that the vast majority of Fontaine's ex-employees ( all those businesses he had ) are not 'sunk' in the 'prison' in Fontaine's Department store -- only those from his criminal operations.
Wouldn't Fontaine's Store have been searched top to bottom to remove every bit of ADAM/EVE/Weapons - IF it was going to be employed as a prison ?? ( A wholy unsupervised prison ? How exactly is that supposed to work ? ).  All customers would have been removed.   It certainly ( in reality, instead of some shoddy fantasy plot ) would have been thoroughly searched for additional evidence of Fontaine's various criminal operations and the others who carried out those crimes with him. That would have turned up all the dangerous thing which subsequently would be removed.   So, is that "Store's" setting all just more ( even more ridiculous/illogical ) contrivance for the shoot-em-up game plot ??    It simply justifies/makes it easy for the Player to scoop up Guns/Plasmids, and have Splicers to slaughter, and Atlas to run Rampant - to be intertwined within the rest of the Quantum BS plot ...
To quote "Tuco" from "The Good The Bad and the Ugly"Mid 1960s Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Western - "When you have to sink, sink! Don't talk."
IF Ryan actually was the 'Evil Meanie' which the game writers tried to portray, THEN he actually WOULD have 'sunk' Fontaine's miscreants ( with Sofia Lamb thrown in for good measure ) into the Abyss. Then the last thing you would hear would be : the muffled sound of the building imploding from the deep ocean pressure, as everything inside was crushed/drowned, and that "prison" became a "Cold Dark Water-filled Tomb" 3000+ feet down - Never to be heard from again.  But strangely, this never happens.  Instead, it is all a really bad farce.
If Ryan had put a 10000 ADAM Bounty on Atlas, Atlas would have been dead/caught within a week - days maybe.  Simple. Or, it would force 'Atlas' to go all huge and shiny and insane immediately - Ryan just would then have found out where he was and lock the door and flood the place.  Simple. 
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Fontaine Was The Villain, and He Used ADAM To Destroy Rapture :
The Novel book followed the games lies ( even exaggerated the story with some really absurd stuff about how terrible Ryan's Rapture was ) -- In-game it was an anti-Ryan setup done by the gamewriters to make YOU be against Ryan, while unknowingly helping the game's real villain Fontaine/Atlas. Alot of what you think you know was told to you by Atlas/Fontaine who wanted you to hate Ryan.
You don't hear ( Audio Diaries ) much from people who AGREE with Ryan and his Philosophy - As would be most people of that time in Rapture - Not like so many Players now who think being an anarchist is somehow romantic. Instead, you mostly hear ( the given 'evidence' ) from Ryan-detractors, who have a bias in what they say -- Its NOT Authoritative Narration - Not fact, just opinion and spin.
The manipulation of the writers even has 'sad' mood music played during the scene of 'evil' Ryan supposedly blowing up the Submarine containing Atlas's family --- BUT you only learn much later Atlas HAD no family, and he seems to be the one who actually blew up the sub to convince YOU to hate Ryan and follow your 'pal' Atlas.
You're not given sufficient strong clues about him 'Conning' You, so that you might (as a 'CHOICE') even question/doubt Atlas's motives/intent, AND maybe realizing he was conning you, and maybe you could try to NOT be his pawn ( but still be dragged into doing his bidding by the WYK ).
Unfortunately, even after Ryan is dead when Fontaine himself at that point tells you that just about everything he told you as Atlas was a lie, you aren't 'clued in' that Ryan wasn't a Villain. After that ( still with 1/3rd of game to go ) the writers ignore/swing away from pointing out the truth that most of Rapture's destruction was intentionally caused by Fontaine ( and the place didn't implode completely because of Ryan's efforts to save it ). It was Fontaine - HIS poison that destroyed Rapture, not Ryan's Philosophy or actions.
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Ryan's Rapture was very much like the American REAL WORLD of the 1930s/1940s - Which 90% of the Players today would not have much of a clue about.
There were ALOT of people in America at that time that were fully against the increasing Socialism and the big government that Roosevelt pushed onto America. Ryan's Philosophy was not at all radical FOR THOSE TIMES in which the game is set in ~70 years ago.
Fontaine was a Drug Pusher who abused Rapture society and actually only got so far BECAUSE Ryan was 'hands off' and leaving it to the responsibility of the individual ( as the writers forced upon the story ). The destruction came because ADAM suddenly ( and conveniently for the plot ) made masses of people violently insane. The ensuing Chaos was what sent Rapture to hell and created the REAL Dystopia. The writers really did not allow the societal systems of Ryan's Objectivist Philosophy to properly function as they should have. They HAD to have their story 'Twist' after all, requiring YOU (the Player) to be fooled. They then just made sure nothing illogical stood in their story's way.
"Bio" "Shock" - ADAM ( I have named the "ADAM-Bomb" ) would destroy OUR today's 'so enlightened' society even faster - the whole "COVID19" thing has hinted how brittle it all is.
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{{Titlex|We coulda had Prohibition to REALLY drive the want for ADAM ????
Seriously - Rapture's Free Press WOULD HAVE labeled the stuff as poison as soon as the FIRST stories about what Plasmids did to people ( the side effects ) came out.
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Ryan Must Die :
With Fontaine wanting to make sure Ryan was Killed ( especially since Atlas was actually on his last legs, with Ryan's minions closing in ), WOULDN'T Fontaine have used "Would You Kindly" to have Jack get as much ADAM as possible ( by killing all the Little Sisters he got his hands on ) to maximize Jack's abilities ?? 
He just had to 'ask' Jack to ( probably with some smarmy "They be evil gremlins,Boyo ... Worse than the fairy folk of olde Ireland ..."   Temp Jack with that ADAM High/Rush that made it so addictive ... So this is yet another thing which makes little sense, except to make a plot happen a certain way ( the feeble 'moral choice' stuff --- Seriously, getting NO ADAM for saving Little Sisters would have made it a REAL 'moral choice', and the innocent Big Daddies somehow did not count when "Killing" was 'Bad Choice' ...).
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