As I said the other night, honesty and freed are what Ashoken values the most. She tries to live her life honestly, despite the fog over and the holes in her memories, and openly as a synth. She regards her freedom and Duncan’s as something precious that needs constant protection. Everywhere around them, there is deceit and slavery. Having been enslaved and lied to by the Institute, she cannot tolerate these things above ground. She is brutal against slavers and gave no quarter to the Nuka World gangs. As a result, she and Duncan and any synth under her banner have a place to go to trade and deal and be safe, relatively. Freedom requires constant vigilance.