To me it's even more than that;
Like what about all the dry snitching, does that count?
Using the police to get rid of your enemies, is that "better" than ratting?
The way I see it, the difference between a boss and a soldier is that soldiers understand the rules. Soldiers respect the rules, live by the rules, die by the rules. Create their entire self image designed around their relationship to these rules. Bosses, understand that, THERE ARE NO RULES, or more to the point, these rules are open to interpretation....
Here's two examples from my own family; I got a cousin, killed his wife, in a car, in front of his kids. Okay, then got his kids mother(she wasn't the wife) to help him get rid of the body. He trust one of my aunts with his money, while he's on the run. She , I guess decides to keep the money, and proceeds to allow the FEDS to tap her phone. Long story short, the Feds grab baby momma, threaten her with life or the death penalty or who knows what, she sings. Cousin gets arrested and he is lock stock and barrel guilty, they offer a plea, 20 years. Do you believe the guy rolled the dice and took it to trial. Got a woman judge, baaaaad, at the sentencing she asked something like," Do you want me to decide your death?". Gave him 80 years I think, his brother said and I quote " The motherfucker shoulda took tha 20 years!!!"
Now he was real, but to me he was dumb....
Second example, another cousin, younger, bully, vicious guy. Lots of enemies, but widely feared, (went to jail at 14 for unloading at the police, used to torture cats as a kid, nutty fuckin guy, incidentally was my favorite cousin, go figure..) is sitting in his car, two gangbangers see him, and because he was so feared these guys make a BET! That one of em wont walk up,to him and shoot him. So, you know what, the guy walks up to him and shoots him in the neck, side, and ass, leaves the guy crippled. This is over a bet, and you know what he does, my cousin? He testifies," rats" I guess, but I guess he felt like, as a street guy, that was his only recourse for retaliation, because like I said, this was a tough fuckin guy, but a rat is a rat I guess..
For me growing up, this shit was never that cut and dry simple; I couldn't understand why my cousin wouldn't take the plea, but I know him not taking the plea enabled him to still wield power in prison, (he had a block he called shots over), whereas the other cousin got his revenge I guess, but at the expense of all his standing in the community.
So I think someone hit it on the head when they mentioned image and ego, what did Michael say in godfather, my father considers himself the equal of a senator or whatever....
I'm sorry for going a little off topic, I just had to explain myself a little... These are questions I kinda been asking myself my whole life...