Read Wiseguy. He hid out and continued to make small moves to gather drug money. He wasn't running too closely with Vario or even Burke at that present moment in time.

The story truthfully reads closer to him being a low tier mid level drug dealer than anything else at that point in his career arch on the streets. He was supplying a handful of lower level drug dealers if I recall around the Long Island area. Oddly enough Hill was supplying to Bobby Germaine who was operating under an assumed identity while on the lam and as well in unrelated circumstances to Bobby Germaine Jr.

Jimmy Burke through Angelo Sepe Killed Germaine Jr. who informed on essentially everyone in question on this thread. It was through arresting Germaine Jr. on a small time drug charge that the government was able to set up and bring down Henry Hill on a slightly greater drug charge.

In the grand scheme I'm sure Vario and Burke thought Hill would stand tall to some extent, failing to realize that (A)he had no reason to at that point. He was on the outside of Vario's bookmaking operation and Burke's loansharking operation. He was primarily in narcotics at that point and as a grander (B) point, he was simply put a junkie. I don't say that to demean Hill or demean drug addiction, that is solely to indicate that Hill was perceived to be something he was not and as a result Burke and Vario misjudged his integrity. Another fair point to make is how truly removed from the streets Vario was at this point in his life, dealing with many street level guys through Henry in many instances. I think both men failed to judge how swiftly Hill would inform and as result could not act fast enough.