OK. Godfather I, Scene I. Bonasera prevails upon Don Vito to send some goons to beat up the young thugs who had attacked Bonasera's daughter. Just after Bonasera leaves the room, Vito turns to Tom Hagen and says:

"Give this to, uh, Clemenza. I want reliable people, people who aren't going to be carried away. After all, we're not murderers, in spite of what this undertaker says."


Not murderers? After all the hits that the Corleones had done over the years, against so many people? Including some done by Vito himself? In that context, what could "We're not murderers" really mean?

Could it mean that in the world of the Mob, killing those two punks would have crossed over a moral or ethical line (because Bonasera's daughter was still alive), while all the other killings were considered justifiable for "business" reasons - and therefore were not murders? Can anyone shed some light on this question?