One of the issues explored in "The Sopranos" was that of the "mob rats," mobsters or people close to mobsters who end up "flippin'" and providing help to the FBI. The two most notable examples of this in the show, of course, were Adriana and Big Pussy, both of whom ended up being executed. While Ade's downfall was partially due to her own stupidity (she never should have cooperated with the FBI in the first place), Big Pussy truly faced a wrenching dilemma--either betray his most beloved friends or go to prison for at least 30 years.

But did Pussy actually have other options? One clear alternative would have been to kill himself--he would have ended up no worse off doing this than he did anyway, while saving himself the agony of wearing a wire and betraying Tony (the episode "D-Girl," where's he's crying in the bathroom at AJ's conformation party, shows the depth of his agony because of this). The other possible option whould have been to flee the country and start a new life. Do you think he could have successfully done this? If he had gone to, say, Brazil and created a new identity, could he have eluded the FBI and built a satisfatory life for himself? If so, would he have had to do it on his own, or could he have taken his wife Angie and their children with him?