How we cite our quotes: All quotations are from Goodfellas.
Quote #7
HENRY: It was revenge for Billy Batts, and a lot of other things. And there was nothing that we could do about it. Batts was a made man, and Tommy wasn't. And we had to sit still and take it. It was among the Italians. It was real greaseball s***. They even shot Tommy in the face so his mother couldn't give him an open coffin at the funeral.
Henry's explanation that there was nothing they could do about Tommy getting whacked shows how set in stone the mob's rituals are. You can't kill a made man. You just can't. And you definitely can't complain about the consequences.
Quote #8
HENRY: For a second, I thought I was dead. But, when I heard all the noise, I knew they were cops. Only cops talk that way. If they'd been wiseguys, I wouldn't have heard a thing. I would've been dead.
The traditions and customs that govern how the mob works stand in stark contrast to how the police department works. For starters, the wiseguys are far more sinister. And usually better dressed.
Quote #9
HENRY: If you're part of a crew, nobody ever tells you that they're going to kill you. Doesn't happen that way. There weren't any arguments or curses like in the movies. See, your murderers come with smiles. They come as your friends, the people who've cared for you all of your life. And they always seem to come at a time when you're at your weakest and most in need of their help.
Making a big scene? Tipping somebody off that they're about to get fitted for cement shoes? Well, that's just not the mob's style—they're your nearest and dearest up to the second they whack you. As Henry explains, they have an entire code of conduct under which they operate, and their refusal to break with tradition is part of their menacing recipe for success.