ABSTRACT
This chapter presents in ordinary language the main facts about the group, bringing in as little interpretation as possible. It analyses these facts, using conceptual scheme. The chapter explores how opinion affected the results of individual competition among the Nortons. Italians, first from the north of Italy and later from the south, had begun to supplant the Irish, though they continued to accept the leadership of Irish ward bosses. A gang in Cornerville—and there were many like the Nortons—soon falls into a strict regime. Yet in individual competition some of the followers could on occasion make excellent bowling scores. The custom, almost universal in American sports, of heckling one's opponents is also a factor in bowling skill. The force of opinion showed itself also when the gang chose up sides for an intragang team match. The very process of choosing up sides for the intragang team matches showed what the Nortons thought of one another's ability at bowling.
