... I always thought that Carlo's delusions of grandeur were only matched by his utter stupidity in not getting out of town shortly after Sonny met his end...
Well, I do recall a passage in the novel stating that after Sonny's death Carlo suddenly became a doting husband to Connie and in general behaved himself. That behavior would make slightly more sense than bolting and bringing unwanted attention to oneself.
...in Vito's case at least his Pride and Wrath were also tempered by loyalty to friends and family, honestly caring about people within his circle of trust, and living by a certain code of personal conduct , which although harsh and self-serving still had a twisted sort of fairness to it.
To repeat an earlier post...while equal in ruthlessness as it served 'The Business'...it can be argued that Michael did lack a depth that Vito possessed, that gift of (dare I say it again)...old world warmth, and yes, loyalty.
...Do we ever see any hint that Michael cares about anyone outside of himself? He uses Tom like toilet paper and doesn't care about being more obvious about this as the film progresses. If Michael had been less self-absorbed, perhaps he would have picked up on Fredo's discontent or Kay's issues.
Michael cared about protecting his 'Family' as a whole. And he did it well. Unfortunately it is at the expense of individuals in his own, personal 'family'. This again is where he is in deep contrast with Vito.
