I just read it too - not the best-paced written mob book I've ever read but seems to be a good summary of the Chin.

Was it worth it? Are you kidding??? I'm sure if you asked Carmine Persico, Philip Rastelli, Vic Amuso or John Gotti whether they'd rather shit into a steel toilet two feet from their pillow or whether they would rather be free but wear a ratty old bathrobe the answer would be obvious. Certainly compare the strength of the Genovese family to any of the other four (whose leaders at various times are all mentioned above) he was on the street even if he was pretending to be crazy, running things and keeping that family strong and powerful. The Genovese family has benefitted greatly from having him on the street, acting crazy or not.

Sure he may have barely left a 3 mile radius but in those years, that was essentially his kingdom. Where else did he need to go? The above mentioned imprisoned bosses barely left a 70-square foot radius once they were locked up.

Besides, the vast majority of street guys stay close to home, its kind of the nature of that game. Gotti was hanging around the Ravenite or upstairs in that old lady's apartment, so it's not like he was living large out cruising the Norwegian fjords or on an African safari - Boss is the kind of gig where you got to be around close to home, otherwise you risk not being the boss for long.

And while he may have *looked* like a tramp, I doubt he was concerned with trying to impress you, me, or anybody else!