At the end of the day, these guys do it to make a buck. In the beginning back in the early 20th century, there were very few ways to be upwardly mobile for immigrants so they found ways to make money through sharking, gambling and best of all Prohibition. The kicker is, a lot of the offspring of the Italian OC wanted to stay in that life. You ever think of why there is hardly a Jewish Mob anymore? These guys did what they had to so that their kids could have a better life than them. Many of the Jewish mobters kids became doctors, lawyers, etc. Their parents would never let them near that life. It was a way of getting out not staying in. In my opinion, if you were say Allie Boy Persico, you'd be a shit head to drop out of St. John's and become a gangster. You can do more with a pen and a briefcase than with a gun these days anyway.