I have always compared the relationships between the members in the old Mafia to relationships between members in a traditional Sicilian blood family. Bonanno, when he talks about a culture, a way of life, his words are influenced by the culture of the old Sicilian ways, with roots in the old feudal society. The old Sicilan Mafia, of course, was a a mirror image of this society but a great part of it was lost when the Mafia was americanized.
See my post just above yours, HK.