Believe it or not, but back in the day the Mafia was not only about the money. It was a secret society where all members benefited from "networking" with eachother, a philosophy that helped the members gain privileges in their community. A member always has to help another member out whenever he can and to the best of his ability. In many ways, the early Mafia was much like the freemasons. Today of course, the philosophy of the Mafia mostly revolves around money.