Board Thread:Online Discussion/@comment-14350577-20131024162905/@comment-1470368-20150810140059

The Thalmor are only in Skyrim for two reasons.

1.) To root out all Talos-worship.

2.) To oversee the Civil War's progress, secretly manipulating the conflict so that it doesn't end.

Ondolemar is literally the only Thalmor individual in the entire game whom you can befriend, and stays friendly with you. Enough so that you can actually gain his help during the Thalmor Embassy part of the Main Quest. He will create a distraction if you ask him to.

It never hurts to have an actual genuine friend among the enemy. The Dragonborn is also an ambiguous character, not even a Talos-worshiper by default.

Ondolemar is one of the few Thalmor characters in Skyrim who isn't a total asshole, though he does think of his faction as superior. If he offers you help, take it.