Mafioso friendship functions as an analytical tool to confine competition

Evidence

Friendship among mafiosi has none of the qualities with which the term is commonly associated (Silver 1989). It draws a rhetorical veil over what is simply a prosaic exchange. The concept is similar, for analytical purposes, to that of territory, which also serves to confine competition within controllable boundaries. — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 528

Categorization

Category: Definitional Content

Broader Connections

• Mafiosi recognize each other through shared habits, not organization #expands (0.82) — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 875