In other words, the mob has no revenge against mobsters that flip, outside of whacking that particular rat or one of his connected male relatives? Maybe that's why so many mobsters have flipped.
I think there's still danger of a guy getting killed if he's suspected of being a rat, but
before he fully flips and goes into government protection. However, as has been said before when this topic has come up, nowadays the risks of killing a mob turncoat (to say nothing of an innocent family member) outweighs the rewards. Especially if the damage is already done.
So, the line in Goodfellas where Henry says you have to be 100% Italian so they can trace all of your relatives back to the old country.....that's not referring to a deterrent against someone flipping?
I know it's fiction, but isn't that what they did in GFII when Frank changed his mind about testifying against the family?
You're always going to find some truth mixed with error when it comes to mob cinema. But I think the basic jist is correct, i.e. they are going to want to know as much as possible about a guy's history, his family, his friends, where he's from, who he knows. I would assume much of this is common knowledge by the time a guy has been around long enough to where he's been proposed for membership. All that said, however, none of it is full proof. The mob can be as careful as possible about who it makes, and it does still work most of the time, but there's always going to be some guys who will flip regardless.
