I agree with Don Cardi in that this topic is a good one to discuss. Reading all the posts, I'm reminded of the scene where Michael tells Tom he loves him and always thought of him as a brother. Tom is genuinely moved in that moment and responds as such. It really does go to show you what a monster Michael becomes when he plays with peoples emotions like that, including those dear to him.

As for the whole Fredo/Michael/Tom triangle, like Sicilian Babe said there's a bit of an age gap. I believe that even though there was a deep love and respect shared between the four brothers (including Tom), Michael was excluded and thought of as the kid brother. This is further evidenced in GF1 when Michael says 'You kill all those guys' and Sonny replies 'stay ut of it Michael'. One could argue that the reason for Sonny's reply is because Michael isn't a part of the family business, but it could be construed as an analogy for 'Go to your room'. That's how it struck me anyway