How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Goodfellas.
Quote #1
HENRY: For as long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster. To me, being a gangster was better than being president of the United States.
A mob boss like Paulie can't veto a bill or start a war with Greenland, but in Brooklyn, he might as well be the king of the world. He controlled almost everything and everyone.
Quote #2
HENRY: That was it. No more letters from truant officers. No more letters from school. In fact, no more letters from anybody. Finally, after a couple of weeks, my mother had to go to the post office and complain. How could I go back to school after that? Pledge allegiance to the flag and sit through good government bulls***?
Nobody is too small to be intimidated by the mob. When Henry sees Tuddy's guys shove his poor mailman's head into the pizza oven, he gets one of his first tastes of power. Even for something as trivial as getting your attendance records sent home, there are wiseguys around to make sure it won't happen again.
Quote #3
HENRY: Hundreds of guys depended on Paulie, and he got a piece of everything they made. It was tribute, just like in the old country, except they were doing it here in America. And all they got from Paulie was protection from other guys looking to rip them off. And that's what it's all about. That's what the FBI could never understand. That what Paulie and the organization does is offer protection for people who can't go to the cops. That's it. That's all it is. They're like the police department for wiseguys.
Comparing Paulie's powerful thuggery to the police department is a stretch, and it shows how, even at a young age, Henry starts to rationalize the shady ways the mob uses and maintains its power. To him, they're the heroes in this story. (We bet the mailman-turned-pizza would disagree.)