I agree with ITB that not every single mobster is a lowlife. I'm not saying they were saints but I just don't think its fair to assume that every single person to ever be in the mafia was/is a dirtbag. Although the vast majority of them are. I also think that there was a teensy bit of honor in the early 20th century Mafia

I agree with TB that the mafia aren't robin hoods but extortionists. I never bought into the robin hood myth about the mob because they would threaten these people into paying and if they said no, their shops were trashed and sometimes they would be physically assaulted. It isn't protection, it's extortion