I think that when Vito arrived in the United States, he sincerely set out to make a legitimate living, have a family, and live an honest life. But as things around him, out of his control, started to take shape... Fannuci shaking down Genco, Fannuci costing him his job, Fanucci shaking down his own people, Clemenza involving him with hiding the guns, etc. coupled with what he saw happen to his family when he was a kid in Italy, changed his attitude about taking the legitimate path and made him realize that he needed to do whatever had to be done to provide for and protect his family. Vito realized that no one was going to take care of him and his family, and that if he continued on the road of the straight and narrow, his life would be controlled by others, and he would be a puppet dancing on a string. Instead he chose to be the one controlling the strings, deciding his own destiny.


Don Cardi