The women were culpable too They knew what their husbands' business was, knew their rich, privileged life was funded by tainted money from other people's murder, misery and blood
I think Vito's rejoinder to this is that his wife isn't culpable because he isn't culpable. He is doing what the President does, what the Senator does, what General does, what the Industrialist does, what the Banker and Lawyer do. They all kill and steal. Vito seems resigned to a rough time when he has to answer to God, but he simply doesn't recognize that he has to answer to these others.
