I think there is some flawed reasoning in this thread that goes like this:"Why would someone risk going to prison or getting killed for $50,000 per year?" --> "They take the risk because they will be making much more money than that and because they grew up very poor." This is wrong...

First off, almost all wiseguys did not grow up poor. They grew up in working class neighborhoods where their classmates went on to be mailmen, electricians, doctors or businessmen. They always had food and a private home - that's not poor.

Second, they didn't choose this life to become rich, they chose it so they wouldn't have to work hard. Lucky Luciano said something like: "I have never been a crumb, and if I had to be a crumb, I would rather be dead." The start of goodfellas says basically the same thing...

And finally, people are made for different reasons. Many guys are made because they are good earners. These are the guys making a quarter million or half million bucks a year. Other guys are made because they are loyal and killed someone or because their relative is a big shot. This varies a lot among the families too.

I think there are a lot of made guys who don't make that much money. There are even more who spend more than they make. As someone who currently lives in NYC, $250,000 is a lot of money or just a little money - depending on your lifestyle. If you read a lot of mafia books, you will come across many stories of these guys being completely broke...