So we basically have a dystopian galaxy so far removed from it's Humanity that Pandora is simply a microcosm of the greater picture. The Companies themselves are hideous institutions which are so bad that in a relative sense have resulted in mercenaries, murderers and thieves to be seen as "heroes". Our "heroes" pillage their way through the first game, slaughtering everyone in their path in pursuit of treasure. Who is the real hero of Borderlands?
Handsome Jack
Borderlands is completely misunderstood in this regard. Jack was introduced as a murdering psychopath who kills a train full of refugees. In reality they were going way over the top (like fucking your sister and throwing a kid out of a window, sound familiar?) in establishing the tragic misunderstood hero. His actual story is that of a low level programmer who saw the need for Order amidst the Chaos and eventually learned of an Alien threat coming in the future.
Forced into near slavery by his boss and executives, he overcame this with the only currency his industry respects: blackmail and extortion. He took over his company and established a new order based on actual accomplishments not who your parents were or whose ass you kissed. The next part of the story is completely missing. (we are told very vaguely that Jack had a wife and kid, but there's nothing to really back this up....) What does exist is Jack's obsession of Sirens during this time which led to a knowledge that easily surpasses anyone else in the series. How did a low level programmer learn who each and every Siren is? My guess is he recovered or created Angel, and he also confirmed he knows the names of the other 5 Sirens, so maybe...is a Siren himself. The killing of his wife and imprisoning Angel is all based on nothing and makes little sense when you understand the character. This story has yet to be told, and likely will be. And considering that Angel was in on his plans for the first 90% of BL1/BL2, odds are she was in on the last 10% too and is still alive and well.
At the end of BL2 before he is murdered in cold blood by our hero Siren, Jack continues to insist to the player that he/she is working for the Bandits and doesn't understand that he's trying to save everyone. He's about to die and still proclaims his innocence right up until the point Lilith blows his face off, FOR THE SECOND TIME! Jack's ambitions aren't evil. He doesn't want money, or power, he just wants to make people safe from the Bandits on Pandora who will eventually release some ancient evil alien threat. He was turned into a killer by circumstances. He absolutely refuses to murder the Meriff despites Athena's protest. When Jack turns his back on him, he pulls out a shotgun and shoots him, Jack is forced to defend himself and kills the Meriff. To which he responds in horror, "Why did you make me do that?!". Jack is betrayed time and time again by the same people he's trying to help until finally he's forced to take charge in order to preserve his own life long enough to save the stupid saps trying to kill him. He paid Lilith and Roland to protect him and get him to the Vault where he would not only find the tools he would need to save Pandora and it's people, but the artifact to show him the future and how to save it from the Alien threat that is to come.
When asked about his motives he envisions a world in which no bandit can ever harm the innocent people of Pandora again, which is why he employed the main characters in BL to retrieve the eye from the alien in the vault.
When the second vault was opened Jack saw the release of the "big bad" alien and the only way to combat it was with the Destroyer. Lilith then horribly maims him for no other reason than he killed a couple of scientists who betrayed him. Lilith and Roland also betray Athena, and later Lilith orders Athena's execution to prevent the truth from being told. Now the Aliens are in control of the Crimson Raiders.