Michael Franzese

because there is this big aura about the mafia that you don't do the right thing, you're gonna get killed, okay?

Is that always so?

Of course not, it's not the case at all.

There are plenty of people in that life that never had to resort to fear or an intimidation to get their way, never.

So even though it's an element of that life, I think it's very wrong to say that if it wasn't for the element of fear, there wouldn't be success in that life.

Well, when you say keep your power within that life.

Yeah.

Well, it's very simple because we all take an oath and we hold each other to a high standard.

And that oath is that we realize that there are certain consequences we can pay if we violate the oath.

And so the fear is a little bit more intense in that life because we agree to it.

But it's not always fear that makes people rise in the ranks.

There's a guy by the name of Roy DeMeo.

He was a serial killer.

Roy DeMeo would have been a serial killer whether he was in the mafia or not.

Mafia just gave him easier access, let's say.

And there was a certain amount of fear about that guy because he was a madman.

But that didn't help him rise in the ranks.

He ended up getting killed as a result of that.

So sometimes when people fear you, it could work against you.

In his case, it did.