While pondering how to whack Paulie, Clemenza believes that his treason did not “reflect on the caporegime’s judgment.” But, as we read on, we learn that Paulie, despite being given a “good living” (a percentage of an East Side book and a union payroll slot), augmented his income by engaging in “free-lance stickups, strictly against the Family rules…” [emphasis added]. But Clemenza regarded this violation as “a sign of the man’s worth…high-spiritedness.”
Uh, Pete: how can violating strict family rules constitute a measure of a man’s worth to the family?
Paulie was young and of high spirit. His acting against the family rules showed that he was more than just a button to be pushed around. In fact, all of the Dons broke the rules from time to time, because they refused to dance on the strings held by others. They created their own rules. So did Tessio and Clemenza in the beginning of their criminal carreer.
So I think, Clemenza sees that Paulie has some sort of character. But Clemenza eventually has to admit to himself that he had let him go to far.
