Scorsese has alluded more than once to not believing in redeeming qualities, although some of his characters certainly have them. Scorsese likes to explore the gray area between good and evil. Bad people who really aren't that bad. Good people who really aren't that good. Their helplessness and apathy resembles society more than society wants to believe.
"...the successful annihilation of organized crime's subculture in America would rock the 'legitimate' world's foundation, which would ultimately force fundamental social changes and redistributions of wealth and power in this country. Meyer Lansky's dream was to bond the two worlds together so that one could not survive without the other." - Dan E. Moldea
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