Early theory held that mafiosi recognize each other by shared character, not membership

Evidence

Lestingi anticipated the thesis put forward a century later by Henner Hess. Hess, perhaps unaware of the points of similarity, does not acknowledge Lestingi and even includes him among other early writers who misinterpreted the phenomenon (1973: 96). Lestingi argued that mafiosi recognize one another not because they belong to the same organization but because, quoting Tullio, “pares cum paribus facillime congregantur”: “The man who shares with another the same habits, inclinations, and goals in life, finds himself naturally tied to him even when no apparent bond, no relationship, not even a previous acquaintance exists. At certain moments they are like two friends who have known each other for a long time and who, with great good will, exchange services and direct their thoughts and deeds toward a common aim” (1880: 292). — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 875

Categorization

• XREF: The recognition-by-reputation mechanism parallels Milgrom’s private-judge analysis and the reader’s Godfather reading — mutual recognition substitutes for formal organizational membership, like reputation systems in law-merchant trade.
• SHARE: The pares cum paribus recognition mechanism — mafiosi bonding like old friends though strangers — is a strikingly specific parallel to how reputation systems sustain trust among strangers in trade. Would interest a colleague working on informal contract enforcement.