ABSTRACT
The code of honor and silence which asks every member of Cosa Nostra to be a "stand-up guy," and which underlies the entire structure of the criminal cartel and confederation, performs the same important function that the "rule of law" once performed for absolute monarchs—it protects the personal power of the rulers. The code of honor asks the underlings to be honest, moral, and straightforward in their relationships with the men of high status whose positions of power would be severely threatened should the lower-status men subscribe only to the more general society's moral and legal code. Without honor, "respect," and honesty there could not be, among the underlings, the "posture of silent awe and unthinking acceptance" which enables rulers to acquire vast fortunes through the hard work and even suffering (in the case of imprisonment) of the underlings. The "respect" accorded bosses and commissioners by underlings is based on fear, but more than fear is involved.
